Elder care and the complexities of social networks - ARCHIVED

We live in an aging society. And much has been written about how care will be provided to an aging population. We can't stop aging, and our capacity to affect our health as we age is limited, but the size, quality and proximity of people's social networks are arguably among the things that determine whether seniors receive formal care delivered by professionals, rely on informal care provided by family and friends or, indeed, receive no care at all.

In this article, we look at the relationship between the social networks of non-institutionalized seniors and whether they receive formal, informal or no care.