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Objective. We describe patterns of residential crowding among older Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites. We also examine hypotheses about the relationship of residential crowding with assimilation (language and duration of residence) and housing market characteristics. Methods. We employ a multilevel research design, using data from the 2000 U.S. Census of Population. Hierarchical linear models are utilized to estimate the association between residential crowding and both individual and housing market factors. Results. Approximately one third of older Hispanics in metropolitan areas live in crowded housing compared with only one tenth of older non-Hispanic Whites. Foreign-born older persons report higher levels of crowding than U.S.-born older persons. Residential crowding differences between older Hispanics and non-Hispanics are not eliminated after controls are included. Older Hispanics who report better English language skills and a longer duration of residence in the United States live in less crowded housing. We do not find evidence for a relationship between crowding and residential segregation, but we find consistent evidence for an association between residential crowding and relative size of the Hispanic population. Discussion. The forces that shape household composition and access to housing among older Hispanics appear to result in higher levels of residential crowding for this population. Key Words: Diversity in aging--Housing--Minority aging (race/ethnicity)--Multilevel models--Residential crowding. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbq069.

Objectives. This study investigated the latent structure of productive activity among middle-aged and older adults. Whereas most researchers have examined forms of productive activity as discrete behaviors, our approach captured the reality that many persons engage in more than one activity and commit varying degrees of time to these activities. Methods. We took the data for this study from the Americans' Changing Lives survey. The activities examined include formal volunteer work, informal help to others, unpaid domestic work, caregiving, and paid work. We describe the complex clusters of activities and time commitment to those activities using latent class cluster analysis. Results. Our results demonstrated that a four-cluster model fit the data well. Specifically, the findings showed that middle-aged and older adults fell into four clusters: helpers, home maintainers, worker/volunteers, and super helpers. We also show how individual characteristics (e.g., age, gender, race) are associated with the likelihood of being in one of these four groups. Discussion. This measurement strategy provides a foundation for future research into how experts can employ productive activity clusters to understand better well-being across the life course. This is important because our results show that many activities do not occur independently but rather are linked in patterned ways.

On the basis of data from the 1998 and 2000 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, this study tested two alternative hypotheses, role overload and role extension, about the relationship between volunteering and spousal caregiving among older married persons. Spousal caregiving was not significantly associated with the likelihood of formal or informal volunteering for men; however, female caregivers were found to be less likely than noncaregivers to have engaged in formal or informal volunteering to a certain extent, thus lending partial support to the role overload hypothesis. Functional health status and other human and cultural capital resources were significant predictors of both formal and informal volunteering for both men and women. Future studies need to examine in more depth the effect of spousal caregiving on volunteering, taking caregiving burden and stress into consideration, to more fully understand these two types of productive activity in later life. Keywords: spousal caregiving; volunteer activity; informal helping; role theory

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between two forms of helping behavior among older adults--informal caregiving and formal volunteer activity. Methods. To evaluate our hypotheses, we employed Tobit regression models to analyze panel data from the first two waves of the Americans' Changing Lives survey. Results. We found that older adult caregivers were more likely to be volunteers than noncaregivers. Caregivers who provided a relatively high number of caregiving hours annually reported a greater number of volunteer hours than did noncaregivers. Caregivers who provided care to nonrelatives were more likely than noncaregivers to be a volunteer and to volunteer more hours. Finally, caregivers were more likely than noncaregivers to be asked to volunteer. Discussion. Our results provide support for the hypothesis that caregivers are embedded in networks that provide them with more opportunities for volunteering. Additional research on the motivations for volunteering and greater attention to the context and hierarchy of caregiving and volunteering are needed.

This study examines the impact of state variation in commitment to the provision of home and community-based services on the living arrangement outcomes of older unmarried females with functional limitations. We combine data from the 1990 U.S. Census of Population (PUMS) with state-level information on long-term care home and community-based service expenditures, nursing home bed availability, and Medicaid nursing home costs from a special report that compares state variation in long-term care systems. Using multilevel logistic regression modeling techniques, we find that the risk of institutionalization compared to community living arrangements is reduced as spending for home and community-based services at the state level increases. We discuss these findings in light of policy changes during the 1990s. KEYWORDS. Home and community-based care, maintaining independence, unmarried older women

This study examines the effects of housing market conditions on the living arrangements of non-Hispanic White and African American persons 60 years old and older. The multilevel models include indicators of local housing market affordability and availability, as well as individual-level resources, evaluated for unmarried women, unmarried men, and married couples. The results indicate that older persons' and couples' living arrangement decisions are responsive to housing affordability in that those who live in areas with high housing costs experience increased likelihoods of living with nonnuclear adults. For married couples, housing availability is also associated with living arrangement decisions, and for single men and women, the relative share of the housing market composed of small rental units is positively associated with residential independence. In addition, housing availability and affordability are positively associated with the likelihood of living alone as compared to living in group quarters or an institution. Keywords: housing; household composition; coresidence; institutionalization

Objectives. The authors examine the living arrangements of older Mexican immigrants to demonstrate how the formation of complex households is related to English language proficiency. Specifically, they examine whether the ability to use the English language is a determinant of an older Mexican immigrant persons' capacity to maintain residential independence. They also examine how living in communities with a relatively high proportion of Hispanic persons impacts household structure. Methods. Data from the 1990 U.S. Census of Population are used to evaluate multilevel multinomial logistic regression models of living arrangements among older Mexican immigrants. Results. The authors found that strong English language skills increase the likelihood of living independently and increase the likelihood of being the head of a household. They also found that living in an area with a relatively high proportion of Hispanic persons increases the likelihood that older Mexican immigrants will live independently as compared with living with others without headship. Finally, interaction models were examined, demonstrating that living in a community with a relatively high proportion of Hispanics reduces the strength of the relationship between English language proficiency and living arrangement outcomes for older Mexican immigrants. Discussion. The authors discuss the implications of their findings and point out possible avenues for further research.

This article discusses the problems the older Latino population in the United States face, such as economic disadvantages due to poor education and language barriers. The author argues that due to the unique situation of elderly Latinos, public policy needs to be developed to handle the needs of the rapidly growing minority group, such as redesigning Medicare.

Objectives. The goal of the analysis was to examine the association between health status and work behavior among men aged 55-69. We specifically examined the conditions under which health is most strongly associated with labor force exit and reentry. Methods. The association between health and labor force transitions was examined using logistic regression analyses, based on data from the 1984 and 1985 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Results. We found that for men aged 55-69 in the mid-1980s, poor health was positively associated with labor force exit, and negatively associated with returns to work. Although these main effects are very strong, we found that health was particularly important among individuals for whom retirement was least attractive. Health had its most substantial association with work transitions among men with working wives, as well as among men who were younger, or who had limited nonwork financial resources. Health also had a particularly strong association with work transitions among Black men, but only with reference to reentry decisions. Discussion. Our results suggest that continued work may have limited appeal for men who are prepared for retirement, even when they are in excellent health.

Multinomial logistic regression analysis of the 1984 Survey of Income and Program Participation data helps examine the labor force participation of elderly women in terms of work-family experiences and work availability during later life. Women with an aptitude for work throughout their lives have a greater propensity to work in the later stages of their life than those who are family-oriented. Regression analysis indicates that incidents of the initial adult life cycle determine the inclination of women toward working.

This article assesses gender differences in the use of formal versus informal sources of in-home care among impaired elders. Data from the 1984 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation are used in the analysis. The results suggest that married women are more likely to receive formal care than are married men, but this pattern does not hold for the unmarried. This result is consistent with gendered expectations regarding caregiving and receipt within the marital unit.

The influences of acculturation, economic status and immigration status on the living arrangements of older unmarried Japanese, Chinese, Filipino and Korean Americans were studied. Multivariate analyses showed that Asian-American women who have migrated to the US since 1965 were more likely to reside in complex households as compared to white women who usually live alone. Chinese- and Filipino-American women were more likely to live with others than those who are more acculturated. Moreover, those who are economically stable usually live independently.

Differences in household composition between Black and White women have often been explained as resulting from differences in the resources of the two groups, particularly economic differences. A competing viewpoint holds that living arrangements reflect the cultural context within which life choices are negotiated. The purpose of this article is to assess the relative merits of these arguments. In this analysis, the extensive data available in the 1984 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation are employed. Indicators of health, kinship, income, and wealth are included in the analysis of living arrangements among Black and White women aged 55 and over. The results indicate that these resources are associated with choice of living arrangements among members of the two groups, but that Black and White women respond differently to levels of wealth and health when making decisions about household composition.

Hispanics will constitute a growing part of the older population well into the 21st century. Accompanying this growth, we can expect that challenges associated with a large bilingual and non-English speaking older population may become more pronounced. The purpose of this research was to examine the level and determinants of English proficiency among older Hispanics in the United States. Data from the 1990 Census indicate that a third of the older Hispanic population in the United States speaks English poorly or not at all. This group includes a sizable number who are 'linguistically isolated' in that they either live alone or with other nonproficient speakers of English. Using multivariate logistic regression techniques, it is shown that immigrant status and timing, socioeconomic status, geographic concentration, and national origin are key determinants of English proficiency. Key Words: Ethnicity, Linguistic isolation, Linguistic diversity