rns, however, is often diffi cult. Aging often "brings with it losses of central social roles resulting from status changes in the arenas of marriage, work, family, income, health, and the like. Group memberships also tend to decline with age" (Rossow, 1974, p. 43).
While great individual variation exists, "many older peo ple find it increasingly difficult to maintain friendships, neighborhood ties, family relationships, and the like" under the changing conditions of their lives (Unruh, 1983, p. 23). The deaths of friends and spouses, together with mobility restrictions related to both health and income, continually reduce opportunities for social integration (Lopata, 1979). Further, new relationships established by older adults often
fail to equal the quality of past relationships. Lastly,institutionalization, as opposed to independent housing, also tends to push the aged toward isolation, as opposed to social integration (Unruh, 1983).
In the late 1980s, 38 percent of householders in the 65 74 age group live alone (American Demographics, 1987). By 2000, this proportion is expected to increase to 42 percent. At pre sent (late 1980s) more than half of the single householders live in single family homes, and, by 2000, this proportion is expected to be 58 perce
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