Defines institutional care and estimates institutional care by the elderly. Reviewed are prospective and cross-sectional studies in which utilization was estimated, along with studies in which factors are identified that influence long-term care utilization such as age, sex, availability of caregivers, and functional status. (Author/ABB)

Examined attention given in 185 studies to individual differences and empirical patterns of variability reported in studies presenting measures of dispersion (43 percent of gerontological studies reviewed and 24 percent of developmental studies reviewed). Most gerontological studies presenting data reported increases in variability with increasing…

Examined the hypothesis that the variability between adults increases with the age of the population. Conducted two reviews to ascertain the status of the empirical support for this hypothesis. Neither literature search provided any convincing confirmation of this hypothesis. Cites implications of this finding for professionals in gerontology.…

Purpose: The goals of this review are to synthesize what is known about caregiving among diverse groups and to identify gaps in knowledge to guide future research on caregiving. The review focuses on conceptual and theoretical approaches, sampling strategies, measurement techniques, and similarities and differences found among groups and across…

This paper concerns elderly individuals who share households with kin. Examines historical trends in multigenerational households. In spite of the decline, the multigenerational household is still viable for approximately 2,000,000 persons. (Author)

Contrasts the experiences of 398 White and 319 Black grandmothers raising their grandchildren. Similarities include age, education, familial relationship to the grandchild, age of grandchild, and impacts on the grandmother's work life. Differences include marital status, work status, and income. White grandmothers experienced more burden from…

Addresses the issues of cross-cultural and subcultural diversity, heterogeneity, and nonlinear change, and explains how these topics relate to social gerontology. Discusses misconceptions in the field of life course development as well as new conceptual innovations. (SNR)

Men and women continue to be physiologically capable of sexual functioning throughout old age, although interest in and actual sexual activity decline with age in most older persons. Older men are more interested in sex and more active sexually than older women. (Author)