Family and friendship networks in old age

BBC news this morning reports on an Australian study on the relative benefits for older people of strong family networks versus strong friendship networks. It seems to confirm what we already know about the health benefits of friendship networks, but questions family support by comparison.

"It was found that close contact with children and relatives had little impact on survival rates over the 10 years. However, those with the strongest network of friends and acquaintances were statistically more likely to be alive at the end of the study than those with the fewest. This was evident even if the person had been through major changes such as the death of a spouse or close family members, and the relocation of friends to other parts of the country."

The article quotes Lorna Layward, research manager for Help the Aged: "As a society, we do need to include older people more and encourage communities to build the kind of environments that allow social networks to blossom."

Having been discussing the strength of extensive family-based support networks in Turkey recently, I wonder what would be the findings of a similar study in countries where family contacts predominate?

There's an interesting Guardian Society article from a couple of years back, on the importance of friendships in old age, here.