The tables have turned on the generations. Adult children, on the other hand, are more likely than older parents to identify specific types of help they provided such as being there, housekeeping, or money.
Most older parents think they are doing fine on their own.
One effective way to start the conversation is for people to look for natural opportunities, such as experiences of an older friend, a small problem or a story in the news. Telephone interviews were conducted by ICR Research, Inc., of Media, PA with 896 adults 65 years of age and older who had at least one adult child age 35 or older. The survey was conducted between March and April, 1998. This study was designed for AARP's Connections for Independent Living Program. AARP is the nation's leading organization for people 50 and older.