Social support includes any kind of support provided to people by other people—for example, help, assistance, or encouragement. Social support [Page 1050]is increasingly recognized as having an important influence on the resilience and well-being of all people and of older adults in particular.

While the salutary influence of social support on the well-being of people throughout their life span has been recognized for quite some time, it is only relatively recently that there has been extensive discussion of the vital role that social support plays in the lives of older adults. It is now recognized that social support is uniquely linked to the well-being of older adults and is a vital source of strength in their mental, emotional, and physical functioning. Social support and related resources ...