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Individual- and Contextual-Level Factors Affecting the Use of Social Support Services among Older Adults

ABSTRACT By 2060, the number of Americans aged 65 and older is expected to more than double, while the number of Americans aged 85 and older is expected to nearly triple. As the nation's aging population grows, older adults will need to rely on social support services, such as transportation and housing services, in order to remain active and lead independent lives. In this study we use data collected from the elderly supplement of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey (SPHHS) (n = 3,042) to explore the relationship between the availability of elderly specific social service providers and utilization of social support services among older adults. We find that while the number of elderly specific social service providers can increase use of social support services among older adults, its impact is relatively minimal. We find that individual factors, instead, are stronger predictors of service use. This is a finding that should be particularly encouraging for elder care providers who may not have the resources needed to undertake large structural changes (like building new facilities). Still, future research should explore how the availability of a broader range of elderly specific social services (than explored in this study) impacts use.