Social support and help with activities of daily living among residents of rural senior citizen housing

This research project examined 68 tenants in a rural senior citizen housing project who had resided in the housing for five years or less. The research questions included the characteristics of this relatively understudied group; their social and health needs; number, proximity and contact with children and relatives; contact with other residents; the degree to which the elderly tenants received support form informal and formal networks to meet daily living needs; and a more in-depth look at the social environment within the senior housing. The senior housing respondents were found to be well familied and to have frequent kin contact. However, the locus of social and emotional support was found to reside within the housing between residents. The tenants named other residents as their important intimates more frequently than they named family or community friends.;A comparative component of the study compared data collected on the senior housing residents to a previously studied sample of rural elderly from the same locale. Senior housing residents were found to be lower income, older, and in poorer subjective and objective health than their rural community counterparts. Senior housing residents were also more likely to utilize formal services to meet personal care or ADL needs and to rate any type of ADL assistance received as more vital to continued task functioning than were the community elderly. The need to maintain and expand services for senior housing residents is discussed.