Over 80% of a sample of community-living elderly in Massachusetts aged 71 years or older are self-sufficient in performing basic activities of daily living (ADL); only 18% are self-sufficient in performing instrumental ADL. Most elders who use long-term care assistance rely solely on the informal support network in both instrumental (86%) and basic (50%) ADL. Increasing physical disability is the key predictor of the amount of informal assistance elders use. An elder's living situation is the only informal support network characteristic consistently related to use of informal services.