The study reports on factors predicting the longevity of 328 people over the age of 65 drawn from an English city and followed over 20 years. Both the reported activities score and the individual's comparative evaluation of their own level of activity independently reduced the risk of death, even when health and cognitive status were taken into…

Statistics on place of death, validated against longitudinal evidence on entrance into nursing homes, shows the "final" rate of institutionalization to have risen in Sweden between 1938 and 1975. Issues concerning who is institutionalized and why appear more important than precise measurement of rates of institutionalization. (Author/NB)

A critical review of the literature suggests the following: (1) negative changes in physical health, mortality rate, and mental health status usually accompany widowhood; (2) social-psychological variables such as the individual's characteristic ways of coping with stress and the adequacy of the social network may attenuate widowhood's negative…

Discusses the "5 percent fallacy," which refers to the number of older people living in institutions at a given time, and the likelihood of an older person dying in an institution. Three articles discuss research methodology, data interpretation, and measuring techniques. (JAC)