Population Reference Bureau Population Bulletin Vol. The everyday lives of many older people are closely entwined with those of their relatives.
Family members are people to think about, to socialize with, and to help in one way or another.
Of course, younger adults also help out their older family members. In 1984, fully 84 percent of noninstitutionalized persons age 65 and older who received help with activities such as bathing or housework were assisted by relatives. 5 Grown children are a particularly important source of intimacy and support for elderly women who have outlived their spouses. Although nearly all older people have at least some kin, a substantial minority have no surviving children. These proportions are expected to decline, however, as the parents of the baby-boom generation enter this oldest age group.