Abstract

There is very little research that draws on meso- and macro-level data to contextualize changes in support networks of older people over time, especially in rural areas of the United Kingdom. This article examines support network distribution of older adults in rural areas of North Wales to assess their durability, form, and content in the context of regional, structural, place, and social changes over two decades. First, secondary sources are drawn on to describe changes in health and social care policy, demography, culture, and religious affiliation in the North Wales region from 1990 to 2014. Second, using a repeated cross-sectional design, data from 2,352 participants aged ≥ 65 years from the Cognitive Function and Aging Studies (MRC CFAS) study in Wales, UK (1993/1995), and 1,684 participants from CFAS Wales 2012/2014 are used to examine changes in the distribution of support networks between two time periods. The results of the empirical analysis are contextualized by drawing on the secondary data, to understand the broader contexts in which variations in family and community structures occur. Our results suggest non-familial relationships are growing in importance in older adults’ support systems, reflecting changes in geographical mobility, education levels, and health status. We conclude that future research should contextualize empirical findings to better understand the evolving nature of support networks and identify the causal mechanisms driving network changes, including the impact of local and regional policies and broader socio-economic factors.