Phillipson, C., M. Bernard, et al. (2001). The family and community life of older people: social networks and social support in three urban areas. London and New York, Routledge.
This book explores changes to the social and family networks of older people living in three urban areas of England: Bethnal Green in London, Wolverhampton in the Midlands and Woodford in Essex. The research methods include: census material; a questionnaire survey with 627 older people in the three urban areas; in-depth qualitative interviews with 62 people over the age of 75, 18 interviews with a younger generation member identified in their network, 23 Bangladeshi and Punjabi households in Bethnal Green and Wolverhampton, and two group interviews. The authors show that over the past fifty years we have moved from an old age experienced within the context of the family group to one shaped by personal communities in which friends may feature as significantly as immediate kin and relatives. The book examines a range of issues related to changes in the family and community lives of older people, including: changes in household composition; changes in the geographical proximity of kin and relatives; the extent and type of help provided by the family; contact and relationships with neighbours; relationships with friends; involvement in social and leisure activities, and experiences of minority ethnic groups.