Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Living Arrangements, Health and Well-Being

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Fertility, Living Arrangements, Care and Mobility

Part of the book series: Understanding Population Trends and Processes ((UPTA,volume 1))

Populations throughout Europe and the developed world are ageing, with growing proportions over age 60, associated with increases in life expectancy and falling birth rates. Between 1960 and 2004, the proportion of people aged 65 and over in the UK increased by a third from 11.7 to 15.6%, and the proportion of the population aged 85 and over nearly tripled (Soule et al., 2005). In the same time period, there have been major changes in living arrangement patterns of older people throughout Europe and the developed world. Older people are much less likely to live with relatives in multi-generational households than previously and are much more likely to live alone (Elman and Uhlenberg, 1995; Glaser et al., 2004; Iacovou, 2000). For example, in Italy the proportion of women aged 65 and over living alone was 22% in 1971, and had risen to 36% by 2000 (Tomassini et al., 2004). In the last decade, there has been a stalling of the trend towards increased solitary living among older people in Europe, but this has been driven by demographic changes, notably increases in the proportion of older people who are married, rather than by changes in the residence patterns of the unmarried (Grundy, 1996; Tomassini et al., 2004). The overall pattern, however, is of greater residential independence among older people with larger proportions living alone or just with a spouse.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Banks, J., Breeze, E., Lessof, C. and Nazroo, J. (2006). Retirement, Health and Relationships of the Older Population in England: The 2004 English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (Wave 2), Institute of Fiscal Studies, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnes, M., Blom, A., Cox, K. and Lessof, C. (2006) The Social Exclusion of Older People: Evidence from the First Wave of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), Social Exclusion Unit, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bond, J. and Cabrero, G.R. (2007) Health and dependency in later life, in Bond, J., Peace, S., Dittmann-Kohli, F. and Westerhof, G. (eds.) Ageing in Society, Sage, London, pp. 113–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Botev, N. (1999) Older persons in countries with economies in transition, in Population Ageing, Challenges for Policies and Programmes in Developed and Developing Countries, United Nations Population Fund and CBGS, New York and Brussels, pp. 85–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braam, A.W., Prince, M.J., Beekman, T.F., Delespaul, P., Dewey, M.E., Geerlings, S.W., Kivela, S.L., Lawlor, B.A., Magnusson, H., Meller, I., Peres, K., Reischies, F.M., Roelands, M., Schoevers, R.A., Saz, P., Skoog, I., Turrina, C., Versporten, A. and Copeland, J.R.M. (2005) Physical health and depressive symptoms in older Europeans: Results from EURODEP, British Journal of Psychiatry, 187: 35–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J.W., Liang, J., Krause, N., Akiyama, H., Sugisawa, H. and Fukaya, T. (2002) Transitions in living arrangements among elders in Japan: Does health make a difference?, Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 57(4), S209–S220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burnette, D. and Mui, A.C. (1996) Psychological well-being among three successive cohorts of older American women who live alone, Journal of Women & Aging, 8(1), 63–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castro-Costa, E., Dewey, M., Steward, R., Banerjee, S., Huppert, F., Mendonca-Lima, C., Bula, C., Reisches, F., Wancata, J., Ritchie, K., Tsolaki, M., Mateos, R. and Prince, M. (2007) Prevalence of depressive symptoms and syndromes in later life in ten European countries: The SHARE study, British Journal of Psychiatry 191e Psychological Medicine, 6: 551–563.

    Google Scholar 

  • Comstock, G.W. and Helsing, K. (1976) Symptoms of depression in two communities, Psychological Medicine, 6: 551–563.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crumley, B. (2003) Elder careless. Time Europe, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daatland, S.O. (1990). What are families for? On family solidarity and preferences for help, Ageing and Society, 10, 1–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daatland, S.O. and Herlofson, K. (2001). Service systems and family care – substitution or complementarity? in Daatland, S.O. and Herlofson, K. (eds.) Ageing, Inter-generational Relationships, Care Systems and Quality of Life. An Introduction to the OASIS Project, NOVA, Oslo, pp. 53–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daatland, S.O. and Herlofson, K. (2003) ‘Lost solidarity’ or ‘changed solidarity’: a comparative European view of normative family solidarity, in Gender and Ageing Changing Roles and Relationships, Open University Press, Maidenhead, pp. 95–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Jong Gierveld, J. (2003) Social networks and social well-being of older men and women living alone, in Arber, S., Davidson, K. and Ginn, J. (eds.) Gender and Ageing Changing Roles and Relationships, Open University Press, Maidenhead.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Jong Gierveld, J., De Valk, H. and Blommesteijn, M. (2001) Living arrangements of older persons and family support in more developed countries, Population Bulletin of the United Nations, special issue, living arrangements of older persons: Critical Issues and Policy Responses, 42/43: 193–217.

    Google Scholar 

  • Department of Health (2001) National Service Framework for Older People. Department of Health, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elman, C. and Uhlenberg, P. (1995) Early twentieth century co-residence of the elderly and their children, Population Studies, 49: 501–517.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • European Commission (2006) The Demographic Future of Europe – From Challenge to Opportunity, European Commission, Luxembourg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fratiglioni, L., Wang, H.X., Ericsson, K., Maytan, M. and Winblad, B. (2000) Influence of social network on occurrence of dementia: a community-based longitudinal study, Lancet, 355(9212): 1315–1319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia, E.L., Banegas, J.R., Perez-Regadera, A.G., Cabrera, R. and Rodriguez-Artalejo, F. (2005) Social network and health-related quality of life in older adults: A population-based study in Spain. Quality of Life Research, 14(2): 511–520.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, K., Murphy, M. and Grundy, E. (1997) Limiting long-term illness and household structure among people aged 45 and over, Great Britain, 1991, Ageing and Society, 17: 3–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, K., Tomassini, C. and Grundy, E. (2004) Revisiting convergence and divergence: support for older people in Europe, European Journal of Ageing, 1: 64–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldman, N., Korenman, S. and Weinstein, R. (1995) Marital status and health among the elderly, Social Science & Medicine, 40: 1717–1730.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grundy, E. (1989) Longitudinal perspectives on the living arrangements of the elderly, in Jefferys, M. (ed.) Growing Old in the Twentieth Century, Routledge, London, pp. 128–150.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grundy, E. (1993) Moves into supported private households among elderly people in England and Wales, Environment and Planning A, 25: 1467–1479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grundy, E. (1996) Population review: The population aged 60 and over, Population Trends, 84: 14–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grundy, E. (1999) Changing role of the family and community in providing support for the elderly, in Cliquet, R. and Nizamuddin, M. (eds.) Population Ageing. Challenges for Policies and Programmes in Developed and Developing Countries, UNFPA, New York, pp. 103–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grundy, E. (2000) Co-residence of mid-life children with their elderly parents in England and Wales, changes between 1981 and 1991, Population Studies, 54, 193–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grundy, E. (2001) Living arrangements and the health of older persons in developed countries, Population Bulletin of the United Nations, special issue, living arrangements of older persons: Critical Issues and Policy Responses, 42/43: 311–329.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grundy, E. (2006) Ageing and vulnerable elderly people: European perspectives, Ageing and Society, 26: 105–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grundy, E. and Sloggett, A. (2003) Health inequalities in the older population: the role of personal capital, social resources and socio-economic circumstances, Social Science & Medicine, 56: 935–947.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gustavson, K. and Lee, C. (2004). Alone and content: frail seniors living in their own homes compared to those who live with others, Women and Aging, 16(3–4): 3–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hahn, B.A. (1993) Marital status and women’s health, the effect of economic and marital acquisitions, Journal of Marriage and the Family, 55: 495–504.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, M. and Havens, B. (2001) The Effects of Social Isolation and Loneliness on the Health of Older Women, Centres of Excellence for Women’s Health, Winnipeg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hattersley, L. and Creeser, R. (1995) Longitudinal Study 1971–1991. History, Organisation and Quality of Data, ONS, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, M.E. and Waite, L.J. (2002) Health in household context: living arrangements and health in late middle age, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43(1): 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, M.E., Waite, L.J., Hawkley, L.C. and Cacioppo, J.T. (2004) A short scale for measuring loneliness in large surveys: results from two population-based studies, Research on Aging, 26: 655–672.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iacovou, M. (2000) The living arrangements of elderly Europeans, No. 2000–2009, Institute for Social and Economic Research, Essex.

    Google Scholar 

  • Idler, E.L. and Benyamini, Y. (1997) Self-rated health and mortality: a review of twenty-seven community studies, Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 38: 21–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iliffe, S., Tai, S.S., Haines, A., Gallivan, S., Goldenberg, E., Booroff, A. and Morgan, P. (1992) Are elderly people living alone an at risk group? British Medical Journal, 305: 1001–04.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iwata, N. and Buka, S. (2002) Race/ethnicity and depressive symptoms: a cross-cultural/ethnic comparison among university students in East Asia, North and South America, Social Science & Medicine, 55: 2243–2252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Josselson, R. (1996) The Space Between Us. Exploring the Dimensions of Human Relationships, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jowell, R. (2003) European Social Survey 2002/2003: Technical Report, Centre for Comparative Social Surveys, City University, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Katz, R., Daatland, S.O., Lowenstein, A., Bazo, M.T., Ancizu, I., Herlofson, K., Mehlhausen-Hassoen, D. and Prilutzky, D. (2003) Family norms and preferences in intergenerational relations, in Bengston V. and Lowenstein, A. (eds.) Global Ageing and Challenges to Families, Aldine de Grutyer, New York, pp. 305–326.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kendig, H., Dykstra, P.A., van Gaalen, R.I. and Melkas, T. (2007) Health of aging parents and childless individuals, Journal of Family Issues, 28(11): 1457–1486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kharicha, K., Iliffe, S., Harari, D., Swift, C., Gillmann, G. and Stuck, A. (2007) Health risk appraisal in older people 1: are older people living alone an 'at-risk' group? British Journal of General Practice, 57: 271–276.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klinenberg, E. (2002). Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohler, H.P., Behrman, J.R. and Skytth, A. (2005) Partner + Children=Happiness? The effects of partnerships and fertility on well-being, Population and Development Review, 31: 407–455.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohli, M. and Albertini, M. (2006) The Impact of Welfare and Family Regimes on Transfers Between Older Parents and Their Adult Children, Varenna, Italy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koskinen, S., Joutsenniemi, K., Martelin, T. and Martikainen, P. (2007) Mortality differences according to living arrangement, International Journal of Epidemiology, 36(6): 1255–1264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, G.R., DeMaris, A., Bavin, S. and Sullivan, R. (2001) Gender differences in the depressive effect of widowhood in later life, Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 56(1): S56–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehtinen, V., Sohlman, B. and Kovess-Masfety, V. (2005) Level of positive mental health in the European Union: results from the Eurobarometer 2002 Survey, Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health, 1: 9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lund, R., Modvig, J., Due, P. and Holstein, B.E. (2000) Stability and change in structural social relations as predictor of mortality among elderly women and men, European Journal of Epidemiology, 16(12): 1087–1097.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marmot, M., Banks, J., Blundell, R., Lessof, C. and Nazroo, J. (2002). Health, Wealth and Lifestyles of the Older Population in England: The 2002 English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, Institute for Fiscal Studies, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGarry, K. and Schoeni, R.F. (2000) Social security, economic growth, and the rise in elderly widows' independence in the twentieth century, Demography, 37(2): 221–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michael, Berkman, L.F., Colditz, G.A. and Kawachi, I. (2001) Living arrangements, social integration, and change in functional health status, American Journal of Epidemiology, 153(2): 123–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michael, R., Fuchs, V. and Scott, S. (1980) Changes in the propensity to live alone, Demography, 19: 39–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Millar, J. and Warman, A. (1996) Family Obligations in Europe, Family Policy Studies Centre, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mindel, C.H. and Wright, R. (1982). Differential living arrangements among the elderly and their subjective well-being, Activities, Adaptation and Aging, 2: 25–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Montgomery, S.M., Netuveli, G., Hildon, Z. and Blane, D. (2007) Does financial disadvantage at older ages eliminate the potential for better health?, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 61: 891–895.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mor, V., Murphy, J., Masterson-Allen, S., Willey, C., Razmpour, A., Jackson, M.E., Greer, D. and Katz, S. (1989) Risk of functional decline among well elders, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 42(9): 895–904.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mui, A.C. and Burnette, D. (1994) A comparative profile of frail elderly persons living alone and those living with others, Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 21: 5–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murata, C., Kondo, T., Hori, Y., Miyao, D., Tamakoshi, K., Yatsuya, H., Sakakibara, H. and Toyoshima, H. (2005) Effects of social relationships on mortality among the elderly in a Japanese rural area: An 88-month follow-up study, Journal of Epidemiology, 15(3): 78–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, M., Grundy, E. and Kalogirou, S. (2007) The increase in marital status differences in mortality up to the oldest age in seven European countries, 1990–99, Population Studies, 61(3): 287–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Netuveli, G., Wiggins, R.D., Hildon, Z., Montgomery, S.M. and Blane, D. (2006) Quality of life at older ages: evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (wave 1), Journal of Epidemiology Community Health, 60: 357–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ODPM. (2006) The Social Exclusion of Older People: Evidence from the First Wave of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), HMSO, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Office for National Statistics (2004) Census 2001 Definitions, Office for National Statistics, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olafsson, S. (2003) Welfare trends of the 1990s in Iceland, Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 31: 401–404.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pampel, F.C. (1992) Trends in living alone among the elderly in Europe, in Rogers, A. (ed.) Elderly Migration and Population Redistribution, Belhaven Press, London, pp. 97–117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pillemar, K., Moen, P., Wethington, E. and Glasgow, N. (2000) Social Integration in the Second Half of Life, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pizzetti, P., Manfredini, M. and Lucchetti, E. (2005) Variations in late-age mortality by household structure and marital status in Parma, Italy, Ageing and Society, 25: 305–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Radloff, L.S. (1977) The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population, Applied Psychological Measurement, 1: 385–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reher, D.S. (1998) Family ties in Western Europe: persistent contrasts, Population Development Review, 24(2): 203–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russell, D.W. (1996) UCLA Loneliness scale (version 3): reliability, validity, and factor structure, Journal of Personality Assessment, 66: 20–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarwari, A.R., Fredman, L., Langenberg, P. and Magaziner, J. (1998) Prospective study on the relation between living arrangement and change in functional health status of elderly women, American Journal of Epidemiology, 147(4): 370–378.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverstein, M. and Bengston, V. (1994) Does intergenerational social support influence the psychological well-being of older parents? The contingencies of declining health and widowhood, Social Science & Medicine, 38(7): 943–957.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soule, A., Babb, P., Evandrou, M., Balchin, S. and Zealey, L. (2005) Focus on Older People, Office for National Statistics, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steffick, D.E. (2000) HRS/AHEAD Documentation Report – Documentation of Affective Functioning Measures in the Health and Retirement Study, University of Michigan, Ann Arbour.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sundstrom, G. and Tortosa, M.A. (1999). The effects of rationing home-help services in Spain and Sweden: a comparative analysis, Aging and Society, 19: 343–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tobis, D. (2000) Moving from Residential Institutions to Ccommunity-Based Social Services in Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, The World Bank, Washington D.C.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tomassini, C., Glaser, K., Wolf, D., van Groenou, M. and Grundy, E. (2004) Living arrangements among older people: an overview of trends in Europe and the USA, Population Trends, 115: 24–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Twigg, J. (1996) Issues in informal care, in OECD (ed.) Caring for Frail Elderly People: Policies in Evolution, Vol. Social Policy Studies No. 19, OECD, Paris, pp. 81–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ulbrich, P.M. and Warheit, G.J. (1989) Social support, stress and psychological distress among older black and white adults, Journal of Aging and Health, 1: 286–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • United Nations (2002) Report of the Second World Assembly on Ageing Madrid, 8–12 April 2002,United Nations, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walter-Ginzburg, A., Blumstein, T., Chetrit, A. and Modan, B. (2002) Social factors and mortality in the old-old in Israel: The CALAS study, Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 57(5): S308–S318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wenger, G.C. (1984) The Supportive Network: Coping with Old Age, Allen and Unwin, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox, S., Evenson, K.R., Aragaki, A., Wassertheil-Smoller, S., Mouton, C.P. and Loevinger, B.L. (2003) The effects of widowhood on physical and mental health, health behaviors, and health outcomes: The Women’s Health Initiative, Health Psychology, 22(5): 513–522.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, K.C.M., Chen, R., Taylor, S., McCracken, C.F.M. and Copeland, J.R.M. (1999) Socio-economic deprivation and the prevalence and prediction of depression in older community residents, British Journal of Psychiatry, 176: 549–553.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zunzunegui, M.V., Beland, F. and Otero, A. (2001) Support from children, living arrangements, self-rated health and depressive symptoms of older people in Spain, International Journal of Epidemiology, 30(5): 1090–1099.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the ONS for permission to use the LS, and for help provided by staff of the Centre for Longitudinal Study Information and User Support (CeLSIUS). CeLSIUS is supported by the ESRC Census of Population Programme (Award Ref: RES-348-25-0004). Census output is Crown copyright and is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland. We are also grateful to the National Centre for Social Research and the UK Data Archive for access to the ELSA data, and to the Norwegian Social Science Data Service as the data archive and distributor of the ESS data. The authors alone are responsible for the interpretation of the data.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Population Studies, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, UK

    Harriet Young & Emily Grundy

Authors
  1. Harriet Young
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Emily Grundy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Harriet Young .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

    Rights and permissions

    Reprints and permissions

    Copyright information

    © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

    About this chapter

    Cite this chapter

    Young, H., Grundy, E. (2009). Living Arrangements, Health and Well-Being. In: Kneale, D., Coast, E., Stillwell, J. (eds) Fertility, Living Arrangements, Care and Mobility. Understanding Population Trends and Processes, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9682-2_7

    Download citation

    Publish with us

    Policies and ethics

    Search

    Navigation