The aim of the research reported in this paper was to study older Swedish women's experiences of managing food shopping and cooking as part of an independent life in different family situations. The research approach was qualitative, using informal ethnographic interviews and thematic analysis. Twenty-three single-living and 18 cohabiting Swedish women, aged 64–67, 74–77 and 84–87, participated. They valued being active through continuing with familiar routines whereby they could live independently. They gained physical exercise and social contacts when they went shopping. Well-known foods and traditional dishes were preferred as they enabled them to proceed from familiar routines. Economical thinking related to money and their own work guided their choice of food. Lack of strength made some, particularly the older informants and those living alone, dependent on local shops, and they simplified their cooking, while others had more freedom of choice when they shopped together with their husbands. The implications of the research for services which help older women, particularly those who live alone or who have been recently bereaved, are discussed.

A sample of 555 drivers aged 50 or more were assessed in terms of their confidence in a range of driving situations, self-ratings of their driving ability, self-reported driving behaviour, and personality as measured by Eysenck's EPQ. Levels of nervousness when driving were surprisingly low, although there was no evidence of unrealistic self-ratings of driving ability. Female drivers reported significantly fewer errors and intentional violations than did male drivers. Female drivers were also found to score higher on the Extroversion, Neuroticism and Lie scales than did males. However, the males in the sample scored higher on the Psychoticism scale than the females. Driving confidence was associated with the following: a low level of lapses and errors, and a high level of violations; a low score on the Neuroticism scale and a high score on the Extroversion scale; being male, and high annual mileage. Personality did not mediate the relationship between driving confidence and self-rated driving ability.

Research indicates that friendship contributes to wellbeing in later life in various ways: through the provision of companionship in daily life, support during stressful transitions, sustainment of identity under changing circumstances and adaptation to old age. However not all older people have friends available who fulfil these different functions. In order to promote wellbeing and reduce loneliness, an educational programme on friendship enrichment for older women has been developed and implemented in the Netherlands. The friendship programme's main goal is empowerment; it helps women clarify their needs in friendship, analyse their current social network, set goals in friendship and develop strategies to achieve goals. Reduction of loneliness, when present, is also an important goal of the programme. A study that followed 40 participants during the year after the programme demonstrates that a majority succeeded in developing new, or improving existing, friendships and in significantly reducing their loneliness. They also reported changes related to the self and social behaviour. Limitations of the research design, reflection on the feasibility of reducing loneliness through a single type of intervention, and possible applications of the programme's design to other areas, are presented in the discussion.

Research attention has turned towards investigating the motivations and experiences of those who volunteer under conditions that benefit both giver and recipient. The purpose of this paper is to examine the motivation of 22 older volunteers as they embarked on training to become lay leaders of an arthritis self-management programme. Data were collected through semi-structured telephone interviews at two points in time, before training and six weeks after training. Volunteerism was motivated by three key needs: to fill the vocational void left by retirement, to feel a useful member of society by helping others and to find a peer group. These key motivations remained important throughout the six weeks of the study. The costs of volunteering were perceived as time, responsibility, invasion of social life, failure, anxiety, and the duration and intensity of training. Nonetheless, older volunteers valued finding a purpose, reported less pain and an increased desire to ‘get on with life'. Results suggest that volunteering in later life can help to offset losses associated with retirement and decline in health. Further research, incorporating standard measures of health status, is needed if the impact of volunteering on the health of this study population is to be more fully understood.

There is a common methodology to reminiscence and life review with older people and oral history, and yet very little common literature. The distinguishing characteristics of these approaches are described and three areas of work are featured: interrogation, partnership and ownership. The discussion draws on a case study drawn from research on family break-up and reconstitution, and on the performance of a play devised and performed by a group of older amateur actors to an international conference. I conclude by identifying ways in which both approaches might benefit from a closer collaboration.