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The increasing number of old people in the population is reflected in the rising, total of elderly persons admitted to mental hospitals. Whereas in 1931, 2,918 people aged 65 and over were admitted directly to mental hospitals in England and Wales, there were 3,850 such people admitted in 1938 and the number admitted has since then increased further. The social aspects of this problem are by no means of secondary importance. It might be urged that senile psychoses and senility depend on irreparable changes in the body, and especially in the brain, which will occur no matter what the social conditions. But there is convincing evidence that the organic cerebral changes incident to old age are not so directly related to senile dementia that the number of old persons admitted to mental hospitals will depend simply on the prevalence of those changes in the brain. Among the other factors will be social influences, which may cause a rapid increase in the number of persons admitted at a time of social upheaval, such as the outbreak of war. These social influences, however, operate also in ordinary times, and throws light on some of the problems of "normal" old age.

The article emphasizes on the need of the society to take a closer look at the social environmental conditions that surround elderly people. People who are labeled "old" in the society are placed in the role of obsolescence. In the society, behaviors of elderly people are correlated with brain function deterioration. The old age is viewed as a process of disengagement. This process could lead to a situation where inappropriate behavior can be adopted by them in order to attain attention.

The article presents abstracts of publications concerning poverty and populations. They include "Work Roles Among the Rural Aged," "Programs for the Rural Elderly," "Occupational Goals: A Comparative Analysis," and "An Examination of the Empirical Relationship Between Unemployment and Juvenile Delinquency."

Using national sample data the family composition, living arrangments, and family contacts of persons aged 65 and over in the United States are compared with those of the elderly in Denmark, Britain, Yugoslavia, Poland, and Israel. In every country the right of older people to live separately from adult children is recognized. Nonetheless, a majority of the American elderly with children live either with a child or within ten minutes' distance from him. Old people in the United States are seen frequently by their children, their siblings, and their relatives. In the United States, as in other countries, the elderly find their primary supports in the family and kin network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the situation of older people in Germany's industrial society, the decreasing reliance on traditional family for progeny's education, the psychological dislocations of loss of career function, societal focus on youth, and the tendency of the elderly to be resocialized to live among similar seniors in homes rather than staying within the family confines.

The article reports on West German and European discussions concerning the care of older people. A description is given of the social conditions in Belgium, Luxembourg and France in 1964, where birth rates have decreased significantly. It is noted that West Germany's demographics show a more balanced range of ages than can be found in other European countries. Issues such as maintaining old age pension systems and adjusting insurance programs to match population changes are also discussed.

The general purpose of this article is to present the results of an analysis of the participation in formal community organizations of 144 rural persons sixty years of age and over, who are defined as older people. More specifically, the article is designed to show the extent of participation and leadership of older people in formal organizations by age, sex, and race of the older persons, by type of organization, and by relation to the locality group of residence. The data presented show that the intensity of social participation reaches the highest point at 55-59 years of age. The scores drop sharply in the succeeding five-year age group and remain significantly below the high point. Sixty years of age, therefore, is set tentatively as the lower limit on the chronological age scale for the onset of old age on the basis of this criterion. There is some evidence that this lower limit is not the same for males and females. The onset of old age for females appears to come about ten years earlier than for males. The data presented for a limited population and confined to the rural environment indicate two fructifying fields of research: further research in social participation especially in formal organizations as related to old age, and additional research for establishing other sociologically pertinent criteria to a definition of the older population.

In many countries efforts are being made to find solutions to the social problems of older people (pensions, health, community services, housing, and so forth), which were among those taken up for discussion by the 46th Session of the International Labour Conference in 1962. Some of these problems are considered in the following article, in which Mr. Lambert, after some general remarks on retirement and on the fundamental criteria to be met by schemes of income maintenance and housing for older people, describes the main features of a French retirement village built and run on the lines he advocates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The residential mobility and living arrangements of residents of two voluntary nonprofit homes for the aged for 15 years prior to their entrance into the homes were studied. The number and types of residential and living-arrangement changes were found to be predominantly functions of changes in health and in family structure and of the sex of the aged person. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses generational trends in Germany that have resulted in barely 20% of the elderly living in the households of their children, 20% living as part of a childless married couple, 56% without such family ties, and 4% in senior citizens' homes. The author recommends day centers to provide human contact, useful activities, seniors' clubs, and social engagement for the elderly.

The article presents information about a conference held by the international social progress society Association Internationale pour le Progrès Social (AIPS) on September 10-13, 1964 in Bordeaux, France. Topics of discussion included the social conditions of older people in the member countries, career development opportunities for employees, and gender discrimination. Presentations were given by international sociologists L. Guelfi, Fritz Arlt, and Léon Delsinne.

The article presents information about the social conditions of older people in West Germany and in other countries belonging to the international society for social progress. Social statistics are given about the number of older people living in West Germany, and figures display information about the social security services they receive from the state. Additionally, the article discusses health insurance issues for older people in West Germany.

The article addresses issues pertaining to old age and retirement years in France. In particular, the views of author and philosopher Simone de Beauvoir are presented with regard to the social conditions surrounding aging. The sparse provisions allocated for French retirees are a main consideration. Family community and intergenerational relations, specifically with regard to their effect on women, are examined.

The article presents statistics showing the significant rise in social benefit insurance and spending in France between 1960 and 1973. Reasons given for the rise in social costs include a rapidly enlarging elderly population as a percentage of the whole, an increased average life expectancy, as well as improved benefits for the French elderly.

The article presents information about government-subsidized housing in West Germany in 1964. It is noted that three million subsidized rental properties will be evaluated to determine if their inhabitants are still qualified for welfare. The social conditions of families with many children are described, and the daily living challenges which older people face are also addressed.

The article presents information about a report presented by a temporary West German committee from the society for social progress, regarding the social conditions of older people in West Germany. Committee members included researchers, representatives of public welfare associations, and officials and employees of institutions dedicated to the care of older people. Topics addressed in the report are discussed, such as advantages and challenges of West German social security legislation.