Personalization of formal social relationships by the elderly.
This article examines the role of formal support services in the lives of elderly residents of HUD-subsidized buildings. Tenants identified a variety of formal roles as important in their lives. The three most central roles were physician (79%), apartment manager (58%), and social worker (51%). Formal roles were an important source of both instrumental and affective support in a wide variety of circumstances. Many individuals in formal roles were considered friends and the highly personalized nature of these relationships was a surprising finding.
Wolfsen
C R
CR
University of California, San Francisco.
Barker
J C
JC
Mitteness
L S
LS
D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D012112:Residential Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support