The provision of informal support by elderly people residing in assisted living facilities

This study examined factors facilitating support giving to members of the social network by elderly Jewish persons residing in assisted living facilities in Israel. A support provision score was regressed on two sets of background control variables: personal characteristics and housing factors; social network variables; and an exchange measure - perceived available support. The hierarchical multivariate results revealed that it was principally the perceived support measure along with two personal characteristics (younger age and nonreligious orientation) that explained the variance in the support provision score (R² = .52). The findings underscore the importance of reciprocity within the informal networks of this population.