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. In the near term, relatively few old people will be without children who could care for them should they become disabled. By 2020 the proportion of women age 85 and older who are childless is projected to be less than half of the 1990 figure.
Most older people prefer to live independently in the community and in their own homes.
Although some older people live in the homes of family members or of unrelated individuals, this residential arrangement has become less and less common as the economic position of the older population has improved. Older people are less likely to move to a new home or community than are younger people. The strong commitment to their current neighborhood probably means fewer want to move, and they are less likely to need to move for job reasons. Elderly who are poor or frail may not be able to meet the physical, financial, and emotional demands of relocating. This text may not be reproduced or reprinted in any form without the express written permission of the Population Reference Bureau.