Older Families: A Decade Review

Roads Less Taken

“…With its emphasis on the parent-child relationship, her approach is typical of what we find in the literature: "the achievement of the '60's has been the recognition of the importance of extended kin relations and the continued contact between aging individuals and their kin, particularly their children" (p. 282). Troll's decade review, and the one that followed it (Streib & Beck, 1980), has no information on childless older adults. The review of work on late-life families published in the 1980s (Brubaker, 1990a) brought a change, as research on childlessness was gathering pace.…”

An exploratory study of noninstitutionalized black urban elderly living in age-homogenous apartments in Detroit, Michigan and their informal social support systems

“…A review of the literature concerning the black elderly and family relations revealed the existence of significant gaps in this area of in vestigation (Jackson, 1967;Seel bach, 1976;Streib and Beck, 1980). "Additional information is needed on the social composition, life styles, support systems, special needs and resources of the ethnic elderly in general" (Holzberg, 1982, p. 250).…”

“…The existence and importance of the informal social support system is a well-documented fact; although, knowledge about the cultural dimen sions of the exchanges of support is relatively sparce (Jackson, 1967;Seel bach, 1978;Streib and Beck, 1980). A review of the related litera ture revealed that relatively few studies about informal social support systems of ethnic aged have been conducted, including studies of the black elderly.…”

“…Elder ly people in the United States are not isolated from family, nor alien ated from their peers or close friends. This fact has been amply docu mented in an array of research studies (Arling, 1975b;Dono et al, 1979;Hirsch, 1980;Litwak and Szelenyi, 1969;Shanas, 1980;Shanas and Streib, Ï965;Streib and Beck, 1980;Troll, 1971). Sussman (1965) studied old people and their families and contended that old people are integrated into an extended family network of social relationships and mutual assistance that operates along bilateral kin lines and vertically over several generations.…”

“…This type of residential facility fosters or promotes friendship and help pat terns among the elderly (Rosow, 1967). "The residential setting of older persons may foster primary group ties, both familial and nonfamilial" (Streib and Beck, 1980). This is significant for both the social and psychological well-being of the individual.…”