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%). Form...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research on aging 1990-03, Vol.12 (1), p.94-112
Main Authors: Wolfsen, Connie R., Barker, Judith C., Mitfeness, Linda S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Humans
Medical sciences
Miscellaneous
Older people
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Residential Facilities - organization & administration
Social Environment
Social services
Social Support
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0164-0275
1552-7573
DOI:10.1177/0164027590121005