No child to call: Lived experiences of childless older adults from the Baby Boomer generation with functional limitations in urban senior living facilities

Abstract

What does aging look like when childless older adults born between 1946 and 1964, commonly referred to as Baby Boomers, enter urban-based senior living facilities that are often shaped by age-friendly ideals but still built around familial involvement? Many find themselves challenging a system rooted in older norms that never anticipated these higher childlessness rates. This study explored the lived experiences of older adults with functional limitations who identify as childless, whether partnered or unpartnered, focusing on how they navigate daily life, maintain agency, and establish support systems in densely populated institutional settings. Using Moustakas’ transcendental phenomenology and the Modified Stevick–Colaizzi–Keen method, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants across six urban-based senior living facilities in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Four themes emerged: institutional blind spots that overlook childless older adults, the formation of chosen families, financial security without familial safeguards, and the balance between solitude and self-determination. Rather than descending into isolation, participants demonstrated proactive strategies to preserve autonomy. As one of the first generations aging in large numbers without children, these findings underscore how urban aging infrastructure, spatial policy assumptions, and care systems lag behind changing family structures. The findings highlight a need for targeted reforms, reminding facility administrators, policymakers, and care professionals to recognize diverse later-life paths and ensure that older adults without children remain visible, validated, and empowered within urban care systems.