Families and Aging Gero 300 Chapter 11 Oct 2008

What does Family Mean? A group of people related by blood, marriage or adoption Def of family 11.1 page 273 Families are divided into nuclear and extended, but family membership may change over time (page 272) Nearly all the elderly are members of a family regardless of household living arrangements In the past the odds of 3 generations living at the same time was low.

Families See table 11.2 page 274 Collectivist societies prefer multi-generational living. In past, Western families did not revere their elders and wealth played a large part in status and treatment of the aged-The Golden Rule-he who has the gold makes the rules. State support may have reduced tension in families who could not afford to look after elderly

Structure of Aging Families Marital Status-married seniors are healthier and live longer and non-married, widowed, divorced Unmarried seniors in particular females are more frequently in care Older men are more likely married than older women-but advanced age creates more widowhood. For women this is an expected life event and older males can marry younger females. Widows often do not want to remarry- look at factors of education and children

Marital status High proportion of elderly in future will be divorced due to late life divorce-50% of all women over 65 in 2025 will not be in a marriage. What will be the economic impact? Living Arrangements-are a factor of marital status-impacted by institutionalization and gender 60% of elderly men live with their wives only (a couple household), a very different picture for women (p 280)

Living arrangements Men tend to rely on wives for care while women rely on children and friends Women experience changes in living status in later life and this has implications for housing, health and social support. Living Alone-16% of males and 35% of females over 65 live alone-see table 11.4 page 281 Higher increase in female life expectancy, higher ratio men to women and declining fertility means competing for space in children’s homes

Living arrangements Seniors may be able to afford and choose to live on their own (pension improvements). Issues of privacy, independence and individualism Multi-generational living % lived in a three generational household-7% of Canadians live with other relatives and about 13% of elderly live in some kind of multi- generational living arrangement. Count in factors of ethnicity and immigrant families-see page 283

Structure of Extended Families Vertical extension-more than one generation alive but each generation is smaller –horizontal shrinkage Reconstituted or blended families-families formed from remarriage and children of divorce Mid-Life families p.284-sandwich generation- care demands of children and aging parents. Care-giving to parents mainly occurs after children have left home. Look at empty nest, cluttered nest and boomerang issues-page 285

Family structure Economic factors and diminished opportunities play a role in adult children returning home and returning home gives a social and economic advantage to some young adults that others lack Impact on marriage-research shows mothers like the idea, but the boomerangers can be quite disruptive with an average stay of 6 months to two years. Intergenerational stake-preservation versus autonomy

Introduction Families are the source of strong emotional bonds but have the potential for interpersonal conflict The family is the core element of the individual’s social support system which are reciprocal in nature and result various kinds of assistance and exchanges over the life course. Social Support System: Family, friends, social and religious organizations

Support Networks Emotional and Instrumental support. Variables include-age, sex, longevity of relationship, geographical proximity Old people are firmly embedded in networks within which are divisions of labour Studies show remarkable stability in the networks, note factors of divorce, remarriage, education, geography, employment moves. Convoy model of social relations

Social Support Women more likely to sustain network than men Women have more people in their networks and have more frequent contacts with more complex levels of relationships. This does open the door to network friction and conflict Changing Family Structures: Nuclear and extended family have changed-factors to consider: demography-quantitative and qualitative aging. The “stripped down” family with more complex social interactions

Social Support Declining mortality-more complex kinship relationships, intergenerational family ties, living sibs, surviving husbands, increased divorce rates (50% of all marriages by year 2000) Results in verticalization of family systems- increases links with preceeding and subsequent generations with an overall increase in the number of generations in a family alive at the same time.

Marital Issues % of females were married and 26% 75 + For males 74 and 71% respectively Males seldom marry older women than themselves. Married people report greater well- being, better health, lower mortality. Family life cycle-evolution of family over life course. Conservative model did not account for divorce rates of 50%

Marital Issues This raises issues of single parenting, second or multiple families and accumulation of children. Typical model only applies to a small percentage of families. Need to add to model-post childbearing retirement, early retirement, late retirement-last three can last 30+ years of adult life. Marital satisfaction over life course-high early, lower during childrearing, rise during retirement- issues of role conflict and multiple role demands

Marital Issues 74% of all divorces are before 40 and 1.3% after 65 < 3% of marriages last 50+ years Compatibility across the life span includes similar interests, values, goals, abilities, conflict resolution. Long term relationships give enduring social support, improved mental health, and overall well-being. Enduring role strain may predict sustainability

Sexual Activity Overall sexual activity declines with age-men report less decline than women. This is across all sexual behaviors, but satisfaction in sexual behavior continues across the life cycle. Issues such as monotony, psychological fatigue, changes in appearance, decreased interest post menopause, erectile dysfunction. Interest in sexual behavior and activity can last into old old age.

Sexual Activity In women the i.mportant predictor of continued sexual activity was being married-42%-2.7% married to singles. This is not as significant for males 47%-31% Gender and Marriage-traditional marriages have traditional roles. Wives are influenced by husband’s perceptions of marriage, personality traits, energy, positiveness, health. Husband’s strongest influenced by his own health perception

Marital Males derive more benefits from marriage than females and therefore have a higher degree of satisfaction. Men confide in their spouses while women are more likely to mention children or friends. Parent Child Relationships-More than 50 years growing together. There are now tiers of parent child relationships over several generations. The relationship is permanent and involuntary

Child/Parent Older persons with positive child parent relationships are less likely to be depressed or lonely with higher morale and life satisfaction Six basic issues that cause C/P conflict in adult years-communication, lifestyles, personal habits, child rearing practices, religion, politics. Social Interchange-Intergenerational solidarity- families adjust living arrangements to reflect changing needs and resources of different generations

Social Exchange Issues of economic and health needs influence involvement and proximity Families can re-constitute themselves in later life Issues of social class are a factor on education and employment and as a result the amount and kind of social support Intergenerational Solidarity-6 components- frequency of interaction-amount-positive sentiments towards family-shared values and beliefs-service exchange-proximity

Social Exchange Being concerned and staying in touch with elderly parents is a predictor of the amount of support children will provide their parents when required Dysfunctional relationships will affect normative responses Family tension, chronic disease, cognitive decline can result in elder abuse by acts of omission or commission. This can result in neglect, financial exploitation and physical abuse.

Social Support Emotional abuse may be prevalent but difficult to assess and prove. Sexual abuse is much more difficult to determine and often goes un-reported. Elder Abuse can range from 1-11% of the elderly and in some cases it would not be seen as abuse by the stressed caregiver or the adult child who was treated badly by their parents and feels this is expected behavior.

Social Support Factors such as mental illness, drug addiction and previous abuse histories are significant variables in determining elder abuse. Divorce and Remarriage-Changes the nature of the parent/child relationship and obligations Who cares for step-parents? Are there gender differences in response to blended families? Ties may be weaker between parents and families in step-families and therefore support systems may not be intact

Sib Relationships Unmarried elderly about 5%. Rely on totally different network, but about 75% may have no support network available. They may however be more self-reliant, independent, and used to being alone. Siblings may re-enter the support network around major illness, retirement, widowhood. Grandparenting-50% of north Americans are GP’s by age 50

GP 3 styles of GP-remote, companionate, involved. Remote-ritualistic and symbolic Companionate-leisure activities, friendly and easy interaction, norm of non-interference Involved-active role in parenting, daily contact, surrogate roles after divorce or death or single parenting Involved GP may experience decline in well- being

GP’s Parents model the interaction with GP from their own interaction with their parents Reciprocity and links strengthen intergenerational activity and vice-versa As grandchildren age they may become part of the support system to their GP’s Grandchildren may provide the only links in divorced families and divorce rates have changed the family structure and extended kin networks

Gay Elderly Cannot count on traditional support systems and typically live in their own networks of friends and significant others. Friends are important contacts as they act as surrogate family members and seniors may rely heavily on friendships rather than family. Friendships may change over the life course and the elderly may have fewer friends but more intimate ones. This is especially true for widows who rely more on single sex friends