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July 13, 2026The Journals of Gerontology Series B

Cohabitation and unmet care needs in later life

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Authors

SPSarah PattersonMWMatthew R. WrightVFVicki A. Freedman

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Overview

Randomized trial investigates unmet care needs by union status and gender in older adults, suggesting implications for care provision.

Key Points

  • To explore whether cohabitation serves as an alternative to marriage in meeting daily care needs of older adults, with a focus on gender differences.
  • Data are from the 2012, 2016, and 2023 National Health and Aging Trends Study
  • Sample includes 4,283 community-dwelling older adults aged 66 and above who co-reside with an opposite-sex partner
  • Logistic and linear regression models were used to estimate assistance received and unmet needs by union status.
  • Cohabitation is not associated with receipt of care or help, but cohabitors receive 24.13 hours less help than spouses (p<.05)
  • Cohabitation impacts unmet care needs differently by gender, with women facing greater risks associated with unmet needs compared to cohabiting men (p<.05)
  • A larger gender gap in unmet care needs exists among cohabiting couples than married couples.

Cite This Study

Patterson et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a54835d475c38bf615a5eb9https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbag136
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1A national portrait of the well-being of remarried and previously married cohabiting older adults2024 · 1 citations
  2. 2Care Network Characteristics and Unmet Needs Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Dementia by Living Arrangement2026
  3. 3Relationship transitions and well-being in middle-aged and older men and women2026
  4. 4Older caregivers’ responsibilities and strategies for their cohabiting partners living at home—a qualitative systematic literature review2025
  5. 5A Cohort Comparison of Relationship Quality Among Cohabitors2025