Le reti di supporto informale in una residenza per anziani autosufficienti.

Introduction. The recent demographic changes and the aging population call upon the need to examine social support networks, and in particular the informal ones, in older adults. The present study aims to assess the quality of informal social networks and of the social support perceived by older adults living in a retirement home. Methods. Forty self-sufficient older adults, aged between 81 and 97 years-old (M= 88.75; SD= 3.83), living in a retirement home, were presented questionnaires assessing social support networks, loneliness perception, coping strategies and satisfaction with life. Results. Results showed that loneliness was the main entrance reason in retirement home, and social support network was mainly composed by family members. Furthermore, the adequacy of the social network, especially the adequacy of friends network, was found to be negatively correlated with the perception of loneliness, but positively with the coping strategies based on social support. The results also showed a significant correlation between perception of loneliness and satisfaction with life. Discussion. The present pattern of findings suggests that social needs are crucial aspects to be considered also in retirement homes.