Social networks of elderly with social services support living in two different areas of Portugal

Focusing social support networks of the elderly, we present a study centered on the assessment of social resources, by analyzing differences between living in a coastal urban area, or in a rural inner region of Portugal. We had 176 participants, 119 elderly users of home care services in the municipality of Penamacor in an interior region of Portugal, and 57 elderly users of day care and residential care in the municipality of Coimbra in a littoral (coastal) region of the country. Their social resources were assessed by Americans Resources and Services Program (OARS). The participants are mostly over 80 years old (72%), 70% women, 63% widowed and 71% are illiterate. The main findings indicate that the network size is much bigger in the elderly of interior region with significant differences between the samples, but the numbers of visits and telephone calls these elderly do or receive are very similar. Curiously, the elderly of Penamacor tend to express that they feel alone sometimes and the most part of the elderly of Coimbra doesn’t express loneliness, as well as the last ones feel that have someone to help when they need and the first only sometimes have someone to help them. This probably happens because the social services settings are different. Older adults from Coimbra present better levels of social resources when compared with elderly from Penamacor. These last group present mostly severe limitations and the first ones present mostly good or low limitations, on the OARS classification scale. Both activate their contacts with the social network especially with sons and daughters or other family members. These results need further study to discuss possible asymmetries, inequalities and other differences. However, Social Work must reflect on these indicators to be able to promote a more equity access to social resources, and to increase an effective social support on the elderly social networks