Given the significance, in particular, of natural helping networks for bolstering the lives of older people, this paper reports on a study that assesses the efficiacy and identifies the most likely beneficiaries of a formal self-help delivery model charged with reconstructing the older woman's social support system. The average group was comprised of 13.5 members, met on a weekly basis, and had been operational for 4.4 years. Multiple regression analysis identifies those variables serving as significant predictors of these women's comfort in sharing, group involvement, and social, intellectual, and emotional gain.
Results lead to recommendations for promoting self-help programming for older women.
In a larger study of older widow's experience of living alone, context was defined in a manner consistent with Husserlian phenomenology. A series of lengthy interviews were conducted with seven older widows who were living alone at home. Context was understood as the life-world of older widows and described in those terms. A classification scheme of contextual elements, descriptors, and features was developed with the participants and considered credible by them. This study aimed to identify sociodemographic and life-style explanations for variations in older women's risk perceptions for six fitness activities.