Solo but Not Alone: An Examination of Social and Help Networks among Community-Dwelling Older Adults without Close Family

• Published in: Journal of applied gerontology Vol. 42; no. 3; pp. 419 - 426
• Main Authors: Lowers, Jane, Zhao, Duzhi, Bollens-Lund, Evan, Kavalieratos, Dio, Ornstein, Katherine A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-03-2023; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Aging; Caregivers; Children; Families & family life; Housework; Humans; Independent Living; Medicare; Medicine; Older people; Peers; Social networks; United States; Variance analysis; United States; social support; caregivers; independent living; widow; activities of daily living; single person; aging
• ISSN: 0733-4648; 1552-4523
• DOI: 10.1177/07334648221135588

This study evaluates help sources for personal and health tasks of adults living in the community without a spouse or nearby children. Using data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and over, we conducted a population-based study of 2998 community-dwelling adults who received assistance with personal, household, or medical tasks in the past month. Using ANOVA, we compared adults aging solo to those with spouses at home and/or children in the same state. Adults aging solo were significantly more likely to identify non-child/spouse family, friends, neighbors and paid aides as part of their social networks. Their sources of unpaid help included siblings (33%), friends (32%), and non-family (e.g., neighbors (23%)). Adults aging solo were more likely to use paid caregivers, despite having lower incomes than married peers. Interventions to support adults aging solo should incorporate diverse social/help networks.