ADA C. MUI is an Associate Professor at the Columbia University School of Social Work. Her professional interests are social gerontology, cross-cultural research methodology, quality of life, mental health, and support systems among frail elders, older persons living alone, and ethnic elderly populations.

NAMKEE G. CHOI is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work, SUNY at Buffalo, where she teaches social policy, aging policy, and research methods. Her research has been in the areas of racial and gender differences in the elderly's economic status, retirement patterns, living arrangements, and social service utilization.

ABRAHAM MONK is Professor of Social Work and Gerontology at the Columbia University School of Social Work. He has served as consultant or advisor to numerous public and voluntary agencies. He is the author or editor of 10 books, including The Columbia Retirement Handbook (1994).