Family in Later Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Family in Later Life - Essay Example In the recent past there has been an increase in the number of singles in the US. The word single implies a person who is unmarried, but it is more widely used to refer to all those people who are either divorced or are staying alone because their spouses have expired. For research purposes the term single is taken in its broader meaning, to include any person who lives alone, whether married or otherwise. For understanding the trends in being single in later life one needs to examine the experiences of the elderly as to how they experience life when living alone. â€Å"The trends that underlie increased rates of staying single among younger age groups reflect the interplay of social change and demographic shifts.† (Ingrid Arnet Connidis, 2009, P.96). When people are single at an elderly age then they remain quite isolated from the society and are less social unlike those elderly who have a family. They are not attracted towards their relatives but are closer to friends who ar e also singles. However, in such a case there is a difference in the concept of both the genders. While the single males prefer friends more as companions older females prefer relatives as companions. There is an increasing trend in criminal cases against the elderly who are single such as telemarketing scams.