Informal Support Friendships in Later Life 10 13 2014 Friendship is important at every age Valued network members often overlooked Friends are different from family o Voluntary mutual choice o Same aged peers share cohort experiences o More often involve positive interactions Later life friendships associated with better health Summary Different types of social support Socioemotional selectivity theory older adults prioritize Individual differences in social networks relationships better at regulating negative emotion Social input model social partners are kinder to older adults Same relationships source of social support and social strain Friendship is important at any age Intergenerational Relationships Parents view the relationship as closer and less conflicted than offspring do Most intimate and conflicted mother daughter Continuity in the quality of the relationship The Sandwich Generation Is this generational squeeze normative Refers to caring for children and aging parents Today becoming more common Why o Increases in life expectancy o Delaying marriage and childbearing o Providing extended support to adult children Intergenerational Exchanges of Support Midlife parents o Give more than they receive o Give to young adult children and aging parents Older adult parents o Continue to give support to children o Only expect emotional support Assistance to Parents Offspring provide assistance to parents to help with Instrumental activities of daily living IADLs o Personal care preparing meals managing money housework o Need for assistance appears earlier Activities of daily living ADLs o Bathing dressing toileting getting out of bed o Need for assistance emerges much later in life Is there a role reversal Do adult children take on the role of parenting their parents in Reality role reversal not true reflection of relationships Parents remain capable of decision making in the face of later life dependence Empty Nest Syndrome 10 13 2014 Myth or Reality Parents experience depression when their children leave home MYTH most do not Reality of the Empty Nest Generally a positive time Greater freedom and opportunity Satisfaction increases privacy time together Other factors poor marital quality contribute to negative experience Do all nests stay empty Boomerang children Who comes back o Never married o Separated or divorced o Financial crisis What Happens to Marriage in Later Life Marital satisfaction peaks in late adulthood Why Fewer stressful responsibilities childbearing Greater emotional understanding and emotion regulation Increased fairness in the relationship Increased time together Gay Lesbian Partnerships Long term partnerships sustained in period of hostility discrimination Most in happy fulfilling relationships o Good health o Effective coping with changes of later life o Flexible gender roles Midlife and Late Life Divorce Why do people divorce in later life o Men lack of shared interests activities o Women emotional distance poor communication Implications of late life divorce o Often more traumatic o Related to opportunities for remarriage o Financial implications particularly for women The Dating Game Little research o Rates tend to decline with age o Women less likely to date than men Focus on companionship and intimacy Increased option from o Changing sexual attitudes internet dating and pharmaceuticals Viagra Remarriage Low rates in late adulthood Why For women Cohabitating Seniors Reasons Seniors Cohabit o Probability of remarriage decreases with age o Often more stable than remarriage at younger ages o Maintain autonomy protect adult child o Tax disincentives o Loss of military and pension benefits o Fear of incurring liability for partner s medical expenses o Credit rating protection separation of current debt Sibling Relationships 10 13 2014 Longest lasting relationship In Midlife o Become closer in response to major life events launching adults children loss of parent o Conflicts over caring for their aging parent Late Life o Insurance policy in times of crisis o More contact for widowed never married siblings Today s Grandparents of people become grandparents by age 65 Role has changed in recent decades More positive close than in the past Grandparents healthier and more active than in previous decades Grandparent Grandchild Relationships Gender differences o Closer relationships with grandmothers vs grandfathers o Closer relationships between grandparents and their same sex grandchildren Geographic distance o Most grandparents live close to at least one grandchild Family Structure o Important during family transitions parental divorce Socioeconomic status SES influences relationship o Higher SES not essential to the family functioning o Lower SES grandparents play an essential role Custodial Grandparenting Parents by default primary caregivers Occurs when adult child cannot care for grandchild Reasons drug addiction mental illness in prison parental death etc Challenges o Medical insurance enrolling in school new parenting issues economic costs health social isolation Intergenerational Relationships Parents view the relationship as closer and less conflicted than offspring do Most intimate and conflicted mother daughter Continuity in the quality of the relationship The Sandwich Generation Refers to caring for children and aging parents Is this generational squeeze normative Today becoming more common Why o Increases in life expectancy o Delaying marriage and childbearing o Providing extended support to adult children Intergenerational Exchanges of Support Midlife parents o Give more than they receive o Give to young adult children and aging parents Older adult parents o Continue to give support to children o Only expect emotional support Assistance to Parents Offspring provide assistance to parents to help with Instrumental activities of daily living IADLs o Personal care preparing meals managing money housework o Need for assistance appears earlier Activities of daily living ADLs o Bathing dressing toileting getting out of bed o Need for assistance emerges much later in life Is there a role reversal Do adult children take on the role of parenting their parents in Reality role reversal not true reflection of relationships Parents remain capable of decision making in the face of later life dependence Caregivers 10 13 2014 Profile of Caregiving Spouses are often the primary caregivers Next adult offspring specifically women over 75 o Parents prefer same sex