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A cross-nat'l survey (in Denmark, GB, & the US), financed by the US Nat'l Instit of Health, to provide a basis for comparisons between the living conditions & att's of people aged 65 & over, in countries with diff econ, soc, & cultural patterns. It may thereby be possible to reach certain conclusions re the influence of external factors on the life of elderly people, & also contribute to knowledge re those factors which are connected with aging, independent of specific nat'l situations. The study method consists of interviews with nat'l probability samples, of the non-instit'ized pop of 65 yrs & over, re: (1) general physical & mental capacity, (2) econ situation of the aged, (3) employment & retirement, (4) fam & other soc relationships, & (5) housing & accommodation. The 3 questionaires are comparable by content, not in their nat'l formation; diff's in nat'l style, speech & approach are reflected in each nat'l questionaire. The highest degree of comparability has been sought by using: comparable sample design, same definitions of important variables, concepts, & terms, same interviewing instructions, same season for interviewing, & same coding procedure. Coordination was achieved at about 10 meetings of the responsible investigators from the 3 countries, during the yrs 1960-1963, & several more meetings on tabulation & analysis will take place during 1963 & 1964. Modified AA.

Cover Page -- Title Page -- Copyright -- contents -- preface -- 1 Old People in Three Industrial Societies: An Introduction -- Why This Study Was Made -- The Basic Theories of Social Gerontology : Integration versus Segregation -- The General Approach -- The Elderly in Denmark, Britain, and the United States : A Brief Description -- Problems of Comparative Research -- Methods of the Present Study -- 2 Health and Incapacity in Later Life -- The Health Status of the Elderly: General Estimates -- How Sick Are Older People? -- Characteristics of the Incapacitated and the Well Aged -- Age and Health -- The Aged in Three Countries -- 3 The Psychology of Health -- Self-Evaluation of Health -- The Sick and the Well -- The Psychology of Health -- 4 Medical Services -- Over-all Differences in the Organization and Financing of Medical Care -- Measures of the Extent and Quality of Care -- Hospitals and Other Institutions in the Three Countries -- Hospitalization of the Aged -- Medical Consultation -- Costs, Income, and Medical Care -- Medical Care and Social Class -- Medical Care of the Housebound -- Medical Care of the Bedfast at Home -- Explanations for Differences in Utilization -- Summary -- 5 Welfare Services and the Family -- Welfare Services in Denmark -- Welfare Services in Britain -- Welfare Services in the United States -- A Different Emphasis on Community Care -- The Role of the Family -- The Separation of the Generations -- Home-Help Services in Denmark and Britain -- The Development of Community Services -- Summary -- 6 The Structure of the Family -- Definitions and Principles of Analysis -- The Span Between the Generations -- Aging and Family Structure -- Effects of Family Structure on Family Organization -- Effects of Family Structure on Family Relationships -- Compensation and Substitution -- Effects of Changes in Population Structure