Loneliness and living conditions of the oldest old.

This paper describes 211 of the oldest old, 90 years or older, in a broad perspective based upon well-being, living conditions and the living situation during a period of two and a half years. The subjects were interviewed, and at the first contact four out of five old persons were living in their own homes, 66% regarded themselves as healthy and three out of five depended on help for primary ADL. Approximately one of two experienced loneliness, the same proportion in each age group 90, 91 etc. Slight relations were found between experienced loneliness and age and subjective health. Slight relations were also found between subjective health and cognitive impairments. During the follow-up period 43% of the old people had died, and all were being cared for in institutions in their final stage of life.