This paper explores the way family obligation and reciprocity are defined in law in France and England. Focusing on the areas of inheritance and financial support in relation to older people, it explores how these are contrasted and linked in the two societies. In France, families are legally obliged to support their kin through obligation alimentaire, but inheritance is secured by law within the family. In England by contrast there is no such legal obligation to support older relatives; nor is there any constraint on inheritance: testamentary freedom is the legal principle. The paper discusses the significance of these differences and assesses how far they are modified by the operation of the welfare state and by embedded assumptions about family relations. It sets the differences within the context of different discourses of law and social policy in the two countries.

National (and international) trends in the employment of older workers show a decline in the economic participation of older people, and especially older men, since the 1970s, and general evidence of age discrimination in the workplace. This case study of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) examines statistical patterns in the fortunes of staff aged 50 years and over in a company with good reason to buck the trends. The BBC is a large, publicly-funded, equal opportunities employer endeavouring to reflect a diverse nation in its staff composition. The research is in two parts. First, we carried out a comparison at five-year intervals of the age profile of the Corporation and observed trends in official retirement at age 60 and the employment of staff working beyond retirement age, from 1978 to 1993. Secondly, an age-related analysis of departures, recruitment and part-time working was undertaken for a 12-month period, from 1992 to 1993.

The research revealed the increasing marginalisation of older workers at the BBC. This accelerated during a period of substantial contraction in the latter part of the 15-year study period and led to an age profile far younger than in other public sectors such as Local Government. Pressures to become ‘lean and efficient’ appeared to have been at the expense of older workers, who were unprotected in the workplace.

With the start of volume 18, our second as editors of the journal, we are joined as newly-appointed Review Editors by Miriam Bernard and Judith Phillips.

Tony Warnes became review editor in 1987 and, by our calculation, he has ‘put to bed’ 46 sets of abstracts and reviews, concluding with those that appeared in the last edition. Tony has made a major contribution to the development of the journal over the past decade. Several hundred books have passed through his hands and, as a result, the review pages have become an invaluable resource for those coming to gerontology, either as students, postgraduate researchers or from other disciplines. He has located reviewers working in many different settings – both on the geographical and the disciplinary maps. In this way the international gerontological network has been greatly enhanced. Many of those who have written reviews will have benefited from his astute and encouraging editorship.

The post-war period has witnessed considerable change in England affecting family structures and social relationships both within, and between, the generations. In this paper, we report on research which has examined the impact of these changes on the lives of older people. Three urban areas: Bethnal Green and Woodford in London, and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, are the locations for this project. All three were the subject of classic community studies in the 1940s and 1950s, providing rich material about the family and community life of older people. Using these as a baseline, we have examined changes to the social and family networks of older people over the intervening years. Our research comprised a questionnaire-based survey of 627 older people, followed-up one year later by a series of in-depth interviews with 62 people over the age of 75 (and 19 second generation members in their networks). We also undertook 35 interviews with Indian and Bangladeshi elders in Wolverhampton and Bethnal Green. Findings reported concern the living arrangements of older people and their relationships with network members. In particular, we note the marked trend towards solo living or living in married pairs amongst the white population, and the importance of multi-generation households amongst the two minority ethnic groups. Together with the enduring importance of family and the significance of friends, there are also crucial differences, notably in the ways people maintain contact with members of their networks.

Survivors of a longitudinal study over the age of 80 years were asked whether they saw their lives in terms of story and whether they agreed with our assessment of its present major themes. Two-thirds of the initial sample of 43 people affirmed that their life story was a coherent one in which past and present were connected. Relationships, particularly within the family, were the major source of linkage. One-quarter of the sample, predominantly female members, perceived neither story nor connections but they were not necessarily dissatisfied with their present lives. Detailed case studies were subsequently composed on the identity processes shown by each person, and their conclusions discussed with the 28 remaining participants two to three years later. The most evident continuing life theme for both men and women was one oriented to the family. Maintenance of independence and own home were also emphasised. The application of McAdams' story model of identity is discussed in relationship to two cases. Implications for research and practice are discussed, including opportunities for older people to construct and present the story of their lives to others.

The research on which this article is based examined the relationship between attitudes towards older workers held by personnel managers and directors in large organisations (500 or more employees) across virtually the whole range of industrial sectors (excluding agriculture), and their employment practices. The aims of the research were to explore the operation of workplace social closure and the social construction of age in organisations, and to provide practical information to better inform policy making towards older workers. Analysis indicated that attitudes associated with recruitment, training and promotion practices were: perceived trainability, creativity, cautiousness, physical capabilities, the likelihood of having an accident, and ability to work with younger workers. Attitudes which showed no relationship with employment practices were: perceived productivity, reliability, ability to adapt to new technology, interest in technological change and flexibility. It is argued that these findings stress the need to target stereotypical attitudes towards older workers if age barriers in employment are to be removed. However, it is also argued that educational campaigns alone are likely to exert only limited influence against a background of a long-term decline in economic activity rates among older workers. The research also indicates that future research studies need to take greater account of potential differences between different groups of older workers.

An understanding of ways in which older carers' perceptions of their marital relationship and duty to their spouse underlie adjustment to care-giving is required for the development of acceptable and efficacious services for spouse carers. With this aim we conducted qualitative interviews with 20 spouses of older people with a mental illness identified in a representative community study. While carers acknowledged distressing changes in their spouse, a history of reciprocity and intimacy emerged, comprising positive themes and perceived continuity which favourably influenced adjustment to care-giving. Those who still experience closeness in the relationship see themselves as coping and are reluctant to accept formal help. Others describe long-term unhappiness in marriage and experience feelings of entrapment in the role of carer. They require early and comprehensive services. Hypotheses regarding these themes are proposed.

Based on data from the Bangor Longitudinal Study of Ageing, this paper examines changes over 16 years (1979–1995) in the relationships of older people (aged 65 or over in 1979) with their children and siblings. The study uses latent class analysis to categorise the relationships into two types based on four components of intergenerational solidarity: structural, associational, affectional and functional. The two types of relationship identified are close knit and loose knit. Results show a change in relationship types over time. Overall, relationships with parents decreased in solidarity. Relationships with mothers showed a smaller decrease in close knit relationships than with fathers; sibling relationships of parents became more loose knit, but remained stable and closer for those who were childless. 71 per cent of those aged 80 or over had at least one close knit relationship with either a sibling or child. Gender differences exist in the development of relationships over time: fathers had more loose knit relationships with children than mothers, and male-male sibling dyads did not strengthen over time.

The preservation of self-identity in dementia is dependent upon internal (cognitive) and external (social) conditions. This study investigates the integrity of self (internal) and personae (external) in dementia as indexed by the verbal and nonverbal behaviours of dementia residents and their caregivers in a special care unit. Videotaped observations of spontaneous nursing staff-resident interactions were collected over a three-day period. The recordings were transcribed and subjected to detailed discourse analysis. Our analyses focused on several indexicals of self and personae including personal pronouns, proper nouns, interpersonal conflicts, and discursive positioning. The findings revealed that both self and personae are susceptible to decline in dementia. However, the results also provide evidence that even in severe dementia self and personae can be indexed in a variety of ways. We discuss the important role that caregivers can have in reinforcing self and personae in dementia.

This paper explores the housing wealth of older people in Britain in relation to their incomes and financial wealth. Family Expenditure Survey data for 1992/3 to 1993/4 are used to assess the extent to which housing wealth could alleviate income poverty in old age. A range of poverty and housing wealth thresholds are used. Although housing wealth increases with both income and financial wealth, the analysis suggests that there are non-negligible proportions of low income older people who could generate small supplements to their incomes by converting the wealth tied up in their homes into an income stream, but in few cases would this be sufficient to pay for long-term residential care for any length of time.

The economic status and problems of seniors, people aged 55–64 years, have been neglected, particularly those of women. Following a summary of government policy in Canada regarding income transfers, this paper reports upon an analysis of data from the 1993 national Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics. Attention is given to relative poverty and financial dependence within households, as types of economic constraint. Both are higher among seniors than either the middle aged or the elderly. Senior women are the most likely to be dependent. The implications of these findings for future fiscal policy are discussed. It is concluded that more attention in gerontology needs to be given to this age group.

This paper critically assesses the portrayal of late life development in psychoanalysis and the wider psychodynamic tradition. Attention is drawn to the importance of this tradition both as a vehicle for personal change and as a cultural phenomenon in its own right. An analysis of historical trends indicates successive phases of accommodation to the practice of psychotherapy with mature adults, moving from a view that older people made unsuitable analysands to one that outlined the possibility of such work, and finally to a rejection of traditional Freudian frameworks as in themselves inappropriate. Two themes, the explanation of adult development in terms of formative childhood experience and a focus on transferential relationships across generations, are examined in greater detail. It is concluded that whilst psychoanalytic thinking can usefully draw on the age-sensitised perspective of social gerontology, much can also be learned about the experience of ageing through the use of psychodynamic concepts.

Existing tenure trends amongst middle-aged households mean that the next two decades will inevitably see significant increases in the numbers of older home owners in Britain. This paper applies estimates of trends in home ownership amongst older households in England, broken down by age group and household type, to official household projections to derive detailed estimates of the number of older home owners up to the year 2011. Additional data are used to derive estimates of the type and age of dwellings which older home owners will occupy and the amount of unmortgaged equity which they will have available. The paper goes on to discuss the implications of these estimates for a range of policies and academic debates. In future, fewer older home owners will experience poor housing conditions but significant minorities of single older people, many of them women and households headed by a person aged 75 and over, will continue to do so. The amount and effectiveness of investment undertaken in middle age is a key determinant of the conditions experienced in later old age, and factors such as right-to-buy and involuntary early retirement from the labour market in the 1980s and 1990s recessions, will lead to an increase in the number of very old home owners experiencing poor conditions. There will be more demand for mobility but limited equity and the lack of moving opportunities will restrict the extent to which older home owners' aspirations can be realised. The paper concludes that older home owners will face a varied future in the post-Keynesian welfare state, with many pressures to use the wealth tied up in their dwellings to meet welfare needs.

In this paper it is argued that the problem of formulating a comprehensive theory of successful ageing – and thereby of finding good criteria for success – may be attributed to the lack of a suitable multidisciplinary framework that meets at least three basic theoretical requirements. These requirements are explicated, and some existing theories and approaches of successful ageing are discussed in the light of these requirements. An alternative theoretical framework is presented which can accommodate a number of existing insights, and which is used as the basis of a new theory of successful ageing, including theory-guided criteria for success.

There is an assumption in western societies that death in old age is not only ‘natural’ but also ‘easy’. It is often characterised as death which occurs at the end of life with goals complete. By contrast death in youth is a traumatic and untimely end. This paper draws on interviews with people over the age of 75 to explore the nature of attitudes to death in old age. It focuses on the issues raised by elderly people themselves when given the opportunity to talk about death and dying. In so doing, attitudes to death and dying are separated into ‘death of self’ and ‘death of other’. Each of these categories is then divided thematically according to the issues raised by respondents.

The financial, opportunity and social costs and benefits of providing informal support to frail older people are described within an economic framework. Mentally and/or physically frail older people were identified through screening interviews with random community samples of people aged 65 and over in four UK areas: 884 frail older people living in private households nominated key informal supporters and 650 of these supporters were interviewed. Around half the supporters reported financial costs (43 per cent) or lost social opportunities (45 per cent). A minority of supporters had reduced their working hours or withdrawn from employment because of caregiving. Nearly all supporters reported at least one social cost (92 per cent) and identified at least one positive aspect of caregiving (95 per cent). Co-resident supporters were more likely to report opportunity costs and loss of health and well-being. Daughters supporting a frail parent were generally most likely, and friends or neighbours least likely, to report each type of cost. Supporters of older people who were both mentally and physically frail reported significantly greater opportunity and social costs. The benefits of caregiving were not consistently related to co-residency, relationship of supporter or frailty type. Possible strategies for decreasing the costs and increasing the benefits of caregiving are discussed.

Analysing transcripts of survey interview episodes, this paper examines the ways in which older people in Finland talk about their use of alcohol. It also aims to shed light on the meaning of alcohol use in the context of social ageing.

The use of alcohol was described in forty structured interviews with people aged 60–89 years. They provided accounts of drinking situations or contexts, or juxtaposed their own drinking habits with that of ‘others’. Perceptions of these ‘others’ were constructed by interviewees from cultural stereotypes of Finnish drinking habits.

Descriptions of alcohol use were embedded in everyday life and cultural frames rather than in those of old age or ageing. In the context of social ageing, alcohol use appeared in these interviews as a cultural indicator, reflecting the cultural habits and norms attached to drinking. As a social indicator, it suggested that advanced age is losing its significance as an independent factor distinguishing lifestyles.

It is now increasingly recognised that if we are to combat ageism the attitudes and knowledge of young people need to be more positively constructed so that they do not hold stereotypic views of ageing. This study evaluates the impact of an educational intervention programme on the attitudes and knowledge of students aged 17–18 years from six secondary schools in Melbourne, Australia. Using Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz to assess knowledge about and attitudes towards ageing in a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design, the results reveal that, in general, students hold low knowledge about older people and negative attitudes about ageing. However, the pre-test mean knowledge scores differed significantly between male and female students and across the various schools, and students who had greater contact with grandparents possessed slightly more knowledge. The post-test results show that the intervention education programme was not successful in raising the student's level of knowledge. The results also show that, in general, the students hold negative attitudes towards older people and that there was little change in their attitudes following the intervention programme. The paper discusses the implications of these results regarding curriculum development in education programmes on ageing intended for young people.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most widely known of the organic mental disorders described as dementias. It is apparent, in both the USA and the UK, that AD imposes a large economic burden in terms of both formal and informal costs. In the UK, one estimate is that annual costs are about £1,039 million at 1990/91 prices and another, even higher, at £4,684 million. There is an extremely heavy burden on informal caregivers, and on agencies providing social services and residential accommodation.

After the onset of AD, the progress of the illness results in declining levels of functioning and increased dependency for patients, factors linked to higher needs for care. Evidence from clinical trials indicates that some drugs may retard the effects of this decline. Economic evaluation of treatments has focused on drug therapies and their ability to alter this progress. One suggestion is that, through delaying the decline and consequent institutionalisation of the patient, effective drug therapy would have economic benefits and reduce health service costs, but this point has not been clearly demonstrated and is open to question.

The extension of user involvement in different aspects of service delivery in health and social care has been a central element of care in the community policy. Purchasers and providers of such services for older people have been exploring ways of tailoring services to meet individual need and ensure that the quality of the service reflects user preference rather than service-provider requirements. This article describes a project involving residents from a random proportionate sample of nursing homes and residential homes for older people in the City of Manchester. The project was designed to bring user views about quality into the service contract specification for the purchase of residential and nursing home care. The process and the outcomes are described. Factors which appear to promote the movement of user involvement into the mainstream of service specification and service development are identified. The role of small-scale initiatives is discussed.