THE RECEPTIVITY OF OLDER ADULTS TO INNOVATIVE MUTUAL-AID ARRANGEMENTS

This article reviews the receptivity of older adults to innovative mutual‐aid arrangements, an area that may become more critical to the need fulfillment of the elderly as we become an aging society. The limited background to date gives a mixed picture: There are a growing number of programs, but participation in these programs is small. Surveys suggest substantial levels of interest in help‐exchange among the elderly, and yet values of self‐sufficiency and independence remain strong. A case study is presented in which the circumstances seemed favorable for the initiation of a help‐exchange program within a retiree organization. A planning survey among the members of this organization showed some receptivity toward the help‐exchange program but also showed a far greater preference for meeting needs with paid services and an insufficient critical mass for justifying the initiation of a help‐exchange program. Cultural values of self‐sufficiency and independence seemed significant in the response to mutual‐aid arrangements. Copyright © 1991 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company