Impact of Family Change on Older People : the Case of Stepfamilies, 1994-1996

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p>This project was concerned with the effects on the lives of older people of the changing structure of the family through separation/divorce and re-marriage. The main points of interest were: caring for older people; ties between the generations; grandparenting; and changes in the ways resources, e.g. property and money, are exchanged between family members. The two year project combined the use of a range of qualitative methods, including genograms describing family structure, and life history interviews with family members from at least two generations in order to develop an understanding of how stepfamilies experience issues relating to their older generations.<br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br>Ageing; broken families; care of the elderly; common-law marriages; divorce; family; family life; family relationships; family role; grandparents; inheritance; kinship; marital separation; old age; property.