The living arrangements of elderly people.

"In order to assess possible future trends in the living arrangements of elderly people and their implications, we need to understand the causes of...relatively recent changes. Analysts have variously stressed demographic trends, economic factors and behavioural or cultural shifts as major influences on changing household patterns. These arguments are reviewed [in this article]." Aspects considered include the availability of spouse and children, coresidence between elderly parents and children, cultural factors, income, and health and health care. The primary geographical focus is on the United Kingdom, with some additional information for the United States and selected other developed countries. excerpt