The Reluctance of the Elderly to Accept Help

This study is concerned with the methodology of needs assessment, and an understanding of why the elderly don't take advantage of existing programs and services. Data were obtained through 25 in-depth interviews, and briefer interview of clients and service personnel in senior centers, meal sites, and agencies. It was found that direct assessment of needs (via direct questions, suggestion lists, contingency planning and projection)may not be possible. The elderly are reluctant to admit need or accept help and may even deny using services. They seem to have devised their own model of services with those perceived to have been earned or which require a donation most acceptable and those having a minimum income eligibility least acceptable. Findings are explained in terms of relative deprivation and through an analysis of the social and economic history of age cohorts representing the older, younger and future elderly. It is concluded that since successive cohorts have experienced better times and a more liberal social atmosphere, they will feel increasingly needier and be increasingly aggressive about getting assistance.