Retirement to the porch in rural Appalachia

Successful retirement in old age depends on the existence of a set of social arrangements in which a person has accumulated a considerable longtime social standing that justifies his claims for support from the community. In a small, rural Appalachian settlement, the pattern of retirement to the porch illustrates how claims by old men for social attention and care are anchored in the interests of others and are vested with significance for the entire community. While the use of the porch to facilitate the assertion of such claims on others may be more evident in small settlements, it is suggested that comparable strategies to afford successful retirement can occur in urbanized areas. These may be more difficult to develop and maintain, since collective sanctions to enforce the performances of relevant juniors are weakened or are transferred to formal facilities that render common services, not personal recognition, to old people.