[Social skills of the elderly, a literature review]

The literature is reviewed on: the value attached to social skills for the elderly, ideas about the relationship between age and social skills, and empirical research of this relationship. It is shown that several authors stress the importance of social skills by pointing to the far-reaching changes in social situation that many of the elderly have to cope with. In addition to this, it is believed that the elderly are--generally speaking--less skillful than the young. This is thought to be the result of an atrophy of skills, and changes in social standards. Research to support this view is rare, and limited to the cross-sectional approach.