Later-Life Social Support and Service Provision in Diverse and Vulnerable Populations : Understanding Networks of Care

Later-Life Social Support and Service Provision in Diverse and Vulnerable Populations offers current, multidisciplinary perspectives on social support and service provision to older Americans. The chapters trace how our understanding of social support among older adults has developed over the past 40 years and explore current gerontological research in the area. They consider how informal care arrangements articulate with formal long-term care policies and programs to provide support to the diverse population of older Americans. They also emphasize heterogeneity in the composition of support networks, particularly in relation to gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and immigrant status. Collectively, the chapters provide insight into the complexity of older adult’s social support networks that can be used to improve the services provided to caregivers and care recipients as well as the policies that promote high-quality support to people of all ages who are in need of assistance.

Janet M. Wilmoth, PhD, is professor of sociology at Syracuse University. She has authored over 50 publications that examine older adult migration, living arrangements, and health status, and explore how military service shapes various life-course outcomes.

Merril Silverstein, PhD, is the Cantor Professor of Aging Studies at Syracuse University. He has authored over 150 publications focused on aging in the context of family life, with an emphasis on life course and international perspectives.