This paper explores the way family obligation and reciprocity are defined in law in France and England. Focusing on the areas of inheritance and financial support in relation to older people, it explores how these are contrasted and linked in the two societies. In France, families are legally obliged to support their kin through obligation alimentaire, but inheritance is secured by law within the family. In England by contrast there is no such legal obligation to support older relatives; nor is there any constraint on inheritance: testamentary freedom is the legal principle. The paper discusses the significance of these differences and assesses how far they are modified by the operation of the welfare state and by embedded assumptions about family relations. It sets the differences within the context of different discourses of law and social policy in the two countries.

The economic status and problems of seniors, people aged 55–64 years, have been neglected, particularly those of women. Following a summary of government policy in Canada regarding income transfers, this paper reports upon an analysis of data from the 1993 national Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics. Attention is given to relative poverty and financial dependence within households, as types of economic constraint. Both are higher among seniors than either the middle aged or the elderly. Senior women are the most likely to be dependent. The implications of these findings for future fiscal policy are discussed. It is concluded that more attention in gerontology needs to be given to this age group.

It is now increasingly recognised that if we are to combat ageism the attitudes and knowledge of young people need to be more positively constructed so that they do not hold stereotypic views of ageing. This study evaluates the impact of an educational intervention programme on the attitudes and knowledge of students aged 17–18 years from six secondary schools in Melbourne, Australia. Using Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz to assess knowledge about and attitudes towards ageing in a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design, the results reveal that, in general, students hold low knowledge about older people and negative attitudes about ageing. However, the pre-test mean knowledge scores differed significantly between male and female students and across the various schools, and students who had greater contact with grandparents possessed slightly more knowledge. The post-test results show that the intervention education programme was not successful in raising the student's level of knowledge. The results also show that, in general, the students hold negative attitudes towards older people and that there was little change in their attitudes following the intervention programme. The paper discusses the implications of these results regarding curriculum development in education programmes on ageing intended for young people.

Research on the psychological outcomes of reminiscence techniques has led to equivocal findings. The goal of this paper is to advance current theory guiding research on reminiscence by examining the implications of viewing reminiscence as a type of autobiographical memory. Butler's classic paper on reminiscence as ‘life review’ (1963) is examined, and revisions to this approach are proposed based on research and theory concerning autobiographical memory. Specifically, the process of reminiscence is delineated through a discussion of the partially reconstructive nature of autobiographical memory and the relation of memory to the self. These developments are then used to predict the types of psychological outcomes that can be expected to result from reminiscence, and the types of reminiscence techniques that can be expected to lead to the distinct outcomes of self-acceptance and self-change. Linking the literatures on reminiscence techniques and autobiographical memory also provides a catalyst for future theoretical and empirical work.

Husbands and wives constitute a large proportion of carers of those older people suffering dementia. Many older people with dementia have had a long history of personal relationships, often having lived with the same partner for most of their lives. Following the life course approach, this study explores the ways in which a couple's marital experiences impinge upon the challenges faced when a spouse develops dementia in late life and is cared for by his or her partner. I start by surveying the relevant literature. The second section outlines a study of nine couples and includes brief case vignettes. In the third section I seek to test out hypotheses extrapolated from the material, with the theme of how perceptions of the caring situation are related to perceptions of the pre-morbid marital relationship, drawing heavily upon the case material. No single discussion is exhaustive, as any of these hypotheses are worthy of intensive study in their own right. I conclude with a summary of the findings and a reflection on how professionals might put these findings into practice.

This paper is concerned with the emergence of consumerism as a dominant theme in the culture surrounding the organisation and provision of welfare in contemporary societies. In it we address the dilemmas produced by a consumerist discourse for older people's healthcare, dilemmas which may be seen as the conflicting representations of third age and fourth age reality. We begin by reviewing the appearance of consumerism in the recent history of the British healthcare system, relating it to the various reforms of healthcare over the last two decades and the more general development of consumerism as a cultural phenomenon of the post World War II era. The emergence of consumer culture, we argue, is both a central theme in post-modernist discourse and a key element in the political economy of the New Right. After examining criticisms of post-modernist representational politics, the limitations of consumerism and the privileged position given to choice and agency within consumerist society, we consider the relevance of such critical perspectives in judging the significance of the user/consumer movement in the lives of retired people.