Social Support and Successful Aging in Assisted Living Residents

Successful aging has been associated with adequate social support. However, impaired functionality, increased dependence, multiple comorbidities, and reduced social interactions place older assisted living community (ALC) residents at risk for poorer social support and less successful aging. This cross-sectional descriptive study used the revised Lubben Social Network Scale and the Successful Aging Inventory to investigate the relationship of social support to successful aging among older ALC residents. The findings indicated that these older adult ALC residents were receiving inadequate social support. Support from friends was more significant than that from family members. A modest correlation between social support and successful aging was observed.