More than 30% of the elderly (70,000) live alone in Tehran. However the figure is not the same for men and women. While 6% of men are single, 50% of women have lost their spouses, are divorced or have never been married, and live alone, said Farshad Sharifi, secretary of the Elderly Health Research Center and faculty member of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Nearly 90% of women do not remarry after divorce, while 90% of men do. This fact explains why the number of elderly women living alone is higher than men, the weekly ‘Salamat’ reported. “In developed countries both state-run and NGOs offer quality services to this social group, but in our country, families shoulder prime responsibility for their welfare,” he added.
