ABSTRACT
In the United States, interviews with pensioners included specific questions concerning cost of health insurance and of medical care, whether they received from, or gave to, their children any financial support, and finally, the source of their retirement income. Information relative to health cost was given freely in all cases. Two pensioners gave no details of their income. Seven (out of 75 with children living) received financial assistance from their children and only one gave regular financial support to his daughter. Some stated they obtained some of their income from interest on investments or from rents of properties they owned; we suspect that others derived benefits from this or similar sources and that the records in this respect are not complete; we have not analysed them for this reason. Very few American pensioners referred to the inadequacy of their incomes except in relation to medical bills; this in spite of a recent statement from a White House committee that ‘No matter what standard might be used to judge the adequacy of today’s older people, one point is clear: Their incomes are usually inadequate for even a modest level of living.’ 2
