Gerontologist who studied how support systems for older people in rural areas adapt as aspects of society change
The gerontologist Clare Wenger, who has died aged 84, conducted the Bangor Longitudinal Study of Ageing, the first of its kind in the UK, which spanned 20 years from 1979 until 1999, and collected data on the availability and provision of support from family, friends and neighbours for older people in a rural area of North Wales.
At the time, there were concerns that urbanisation and industrialisation were leading to a weakening of family support, and questions were raised about the ability of older people to change and adapt to new circumstances. Clare’s research demonstrated that, although the social support networks of older people are shaped by societal forces, as aspects of society change, networks simultaneously adapt. For example, although retirement migration may result in family members living at a distance from each other, many older people establish new networks of friends and volunteer in local community groups.