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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Best friends
— the role of confidantes in older women's health | | Author(s) | Robin D Moremen |
| Journal title | Journal of Women & Aging, vol 20, nos 1/2, 2008 |
| Pages | pp 149-168 |
| Source | http://www.tandfonline.com |
| Keywords | Older women ; Health [elderly] ; Friends ; Social roles ; Social surveys ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | Personal, network and community contexts are explored regarding older women's friendships and health. 26 older women (mean age 57, range 55-85 years) in San Francisco were asked to choose the one individual to whom they felt the closest, and then discuss how this individual contributed to their health. Their choices were numerous, diverse, contextual and circumstantial. Older women were chosen most often; however, this belies the complexity of their choices. Confidants were chosen primarily for expressive reasons, but instrumental reasons proved important, too, particularly for lower class women. Older women called upon their closest ties with physical, social and emotional problems, they were less likely to call upon them for mental, financial or spiritual concerns. Family members were preferred to friends for direct caregiving; however, some older women felt they would call upon their friends as well. Confidants kept older women healthy by offering advice and encouragement about diet and exercise; by providing meals and transport; by laughing and joking with them; by keeping them happy and feeling good about themselves; and, on rare occasions, by offering spiritual guidance. Practical and policy considerations of their choices are discussed. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-080429210 A |
| Classmark | BD: CC: SX: TM5: 3F: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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