The graying of America: Emotional support characteristic of many elders

But to give and receive what? Your first thought is probably money. However, giving and receiving are much broader concepts than this, especially as they apply to older adults.

Giving and receiving may also refer to either instrumental or emotional support. The giving and receiving of such support have been a topic of great interest in gerontology.

Giving instrumental support means helping family members or friends perform essential activities of daily living, such as preparing meals and cleaning a house. Giving emotional support means providing sympathetic listening to the problems of others and offering advice.

Equity theory in gerontology stresses that older adults seek a balance between giving and receiving support of whatever kind. However, evidence supporting the theory has been inconsistent. Older adults may be unable to give much instrumental support to others. At the same time their frailty may require receiving considerable instrumental support from others. The net effect would be a giving-receiving imbalance.

On the other hand, a number of researchers found that most older adults who are physically and mentally unimpaired do give considerable emotional support to others. Frailty in late adulthood places few restrictions on providing emotional support.

Higher educational levels are associated with higher levels of giving, while poor health is associated with lower levels. Older women tend to provide more emotional support, but less instrumental support, than do older men.

Higher levels of life satisfaction and psychological well-being are associated with higher levels of both forms of support. This parallels that outcome found for volunteerism by older adults -- the greater the amount of volunteering, the greater the well-being.

Our concern has been with physically and mentally unimpaired older adults. What about older adults who are physically impaired or disabled? They are the likely recipients of instrumental support and probably emotional support as well. However, their capability of giving support, especially emotional support, has received relatively little attention. There is some evidence indicating that providing support to others enhances their self-esteem and aids their adaptation to their affliction.

Dr. Kathrin Boemer and Dr. Joann P. Reinhardt of Lighthouse International conducted the most thorough study with disabled older adults. The participants were more than 400 older adults, age 65 and older, who had progressive chronic visual impairment. Their involvement in giving both instrumental and emotional support was assessed at several times during an 18-month period.

The participants gave relatively little instrumental support to either family members or friends. However, they gave considerable emotional support to family members and a more moderate amount to friends. The amount of that support did decline over the 18 months. As with unimpaired older adults, higher educational levels were associated with greater amounts of emotional support.

Giving emotional support seems to be a blessed act for most older Americans, whether they are physically unimpaired or physically impaired.

Dr. Donald H. Kausler, emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, is author of "The Graying of America: An Encyclopedia of Aging, Health, Mind, and Behavior." His e-mail address is dkausler2@aol.com.