Older Couples

This study examines the degree to which older, noninstitutionalized husbands and wives are involved in providing various types of assistance, the likelihood of providing assistance to one's spouse and to others, and the characteristics associated with giving more forms of help. The findings suggest that older wives are more likely than older husbands to provide most of these forms of assistance. Furthermore, husbands are more likely to help their spouses, while wives are more likely to report helping people outside the conjugal pair. Multiple regression analysis suggests that the ability of the potential recipient spouse to perform daily living tasks is a key factor in determining number of forms of help provided by the potential helping spouse.