The term elder orphan is described as a “benevolent identifier.” Elderly unmarried childless individuals will age as orphans except there is no orphanage to act as a dock until someone comes along to adopt them. Elder orphans tend to be Black and Hispanic with annual incomes less than $27,000 and fair to poor health.  Male gender is a risk factor for being an elder orphan and annual incomes of $42,000 and greater decreased a person’s risk for being in the elder orphan group according to research studies. One study concluded that kinlessness is a predictor for institutionalization and poorer quality of institutional care.