Living arrangement and its effect on older people in ageing societies

Health status and mortality risks differ by type of living arrangement. Living as a married couple has a protective effect, whereas living alone is often associated with poorer health and higher mortality. Mortality is higher still for those living in institutions. However, given that those living in institutions are generally in poorer health than those living independently, it is unclear whether this higher mortality risk among the institutionalized population results from their poorer health, or from other causes. We use an exhaustive Belgian data set of 1.7 million persons aged 65 and above from the 2001 census, and model their survival during year 2002 using logistic regression and controlling for age, sex and education. The results confirm that living with a spouse is associated to the lowest mortality risk but survival for both is improved when the husband is older than the wife. Other types of family-household living arrangements are less favourable, while living alone is better for women than it is for men. Those living in institutions have a higher risk of mortality than those living in private households, irrespective of their health status. However this disadvantage declines with age, and effectively disappears after age 90.

Using census data this paper aims to: 1) compare the trends and patterns of living arrangements of the older persons in Southeast Asia to see if there are significant similarities and differences that transcend the diversity of this region; and 2) examine the factors affecting their living arrangements. Living arrangement is a good indicator of family support to the older persons because with whom the older persons live reflects the residential dimension of their family life and is an important social context of their day to day lives. This was categorised into: (1) one person household; (2) nuclear household; (3) extended household; and (4) other household classification.

Living in an extended household remains the most predominant type of living arrangement among older persons in Southeast Asia, although the trend has been declining over time. In contrast, the proportion living in a one-person and nuclear household has been on the rise in these Southeast Asian countries. Moreover, more women than men live in a one-person and extended household while more of the latter than the former reside in a nuclear household. Finally the proportion living in an extended household varies by age, marital status, level of education and place of residence.

This paper explores how the timing of parental divorce within a child’s lifecourse can influence the obligations they feel to care for their parents later in life. The majority of studies have suggested that parental divorce that occurs earlier in a child’s life will have the most detrimental effect on their relationships with their parents in later years, and their obligations to provide care for them as they grow old. Drawing upon life-history interviews with 42 adult children aged 36-65 in Southampton (UK), this contention is challenged by demonstrating how mid-life experiences of parental divorce have weakened participants’ obligations to care in significant ways. In other cases where participants’ parents experienced deteriorating marital relations in later life but rejected divorce, an emergent living arrangement was identified called ‘living together apart’. This often involved the social withdrawal of fathers which weakened relationships with their adult children, and reduced their willingness to care for them in frailty. These findings are presented within the context of rising divorce rates in older age groups and a projected widening of the informal care gap in the UK. We conclude by considering the implications of these findings for family-centric social care policy.

This study is first in a series of multi-topic papers on ageing in seven states covering all regions of India. It identifies which elderly are most vulnerable to living alone and familial support they receive from children- instrumental and in-kind. The Building a Knowledge Base on Population Aging in India (BKBPAI) data is used- a novel survey encompassing 9,852 elderly. We find that a majority of elderly co-reside with other family members, but 22 percent of elderly either live alone (6%) or with spouse only (16%). Due to higher widowhood among women, they are more likely to live alone. Migration of children emerges as the most important reason for elderly living alone; however family conflicts and preference for independence are important. Additionally: illiterate, poor and socially marginalized elderly are more likely to live alone. Kin support through monetary transfers and frequent meetings is twice as likely for elderly living alone.

Regional differences in dependency ratios are often referred to as a potential problem in aging societies. The need for formal care is potentially higher if the informal care is scarce, and in regions where few elderly have a local family network, pressure increases on support from public sector. Geographical distance between family members is the result of accumulated migration and non-migration in all generations in different phases of life, resulting in staying close, moving away or moving closer to family members. The focus of this study is the regional differences in proximity between family members and the demographic processes that produce geographic variation in elderly people’s access to local family networks. The study is based on a quantitative analysis of register data and utilizes the unique opportunity that is available in the Swedish population registers to link individuals to their family networks, place of residence and workplace.