Then the proportion of our population over 65 will really begin to increase rapidly. A 21st century baby boom would produce a broadening of the younger ages, and would work to shrink the proportion of the population over 65. The family is a multi generational institution - it ties people together across generational lines. This is one reason why the strains associated with such a dramatic aging of the population might be contained. You can't get too angry with the elderly, since they are your own grandparents.
Work declines in importance and friends die, but the family remains.
This importance can be seen in visiting patterns and even giving patterns. The old still give to the younger generation, even though a return flow also develops. There is no evidence that the family has become less important for the older person or that the younger generation has stopped helping and supporting older family members. The actual experience of the later years differs significantly for men and women. It really is all due to differences in mortality - men being more likely to die at younger ages.