Older adults are the fastest growing age cohort in the US, and within the older adult group, those 80 and older are the fastest growing subgroup (Pew Research).
Elder care is one of the biggest challenges facing baby boomers, with an anticipated cumulative cost of more than $3 trillion, according to daily finances. Caring for elderly parents is expected to bankrupt 30% of adult child caretakers in the US (The New York Times). Much of that care is related to helping elderly and frail parents with Alzheimer’s disease or some form of dementia.
This is a very significant demographic trend that has serious repercussions for us and our communities for decades to come.
People live longer. They remain fragile and need care for more years than they did 10 or 20 years ago. Many states report an increase in the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, both in raw numbers and relative to the general population.
Elder care issues are receiving an increasing amount of press coverage, including a series on ABC World News and articles in major newspapers and magazines. Amazon.com has more than 33,000 books with “seniors” in the title and more than 10,000 books dealing with Alzheimer’s disease.
An increasing proportion of middle-aged adults find themselves in a position where they need to provide some level of care for a frail elderly parent suffering from Alzheimer’s. It is interesting to note that the vast majority of caregivers are middle-aged women, who may also be caring for teenagers or young adults in college. In fact, almost 75% of caregivers are middle-aged women who spend an average of 18 hours a week caring for their mothers. They are the “sandwich generation”, caught between the needs of their children and their parents. Today’s baby boomers are likely to spend more years caring for a parent than their children (“Caregiving to Aging Parents,” by Durant and Christian, Forum on Public Policy). And the pressures are mounting as the number of frail elderly grows.
As you look at this demographic revolution, consider its short- and long-term impact on our families and communities.
1. The population of older adults continues to grow. The proportion of the elderly, and especially frail elderly, with respect to the general population increases every year. The number of older adults in need of support is increasing and, in many states, severely strains our resources. The trend is long term and will not peak for many years.
two. Adult children need information, resources, help and support to cope with the needs of fragile parents with dementia. When we consider the large number of middle-aged people who care for aging parents, it seems clear that having good resources and support is not only a boon to adult children, but can also have a significant impact on workplace productivity and the strength of the community. Several companies in the US provide resources to their employees to help them deal with elder care.
3. Current community resources are not up to the task and more funds are needed to maintain even a basic level of services for this rapidly growing population.. Many communities conduct needs assessments and develop plans for community growth and development, covering areas such as economic and demographic trends, transportation, housing, and services. Community leaders must ensure that the needs of older adults and an analysis of community services are also included, and the service
Four. Agencies must develop a mix of services and payment sources. A combination of integrated home and community-based services is needed. The federal government has already begun to reduce payment levels to hospitals for those older adults who are readmitted within 30 days, and this trend will continue. Communities must develop and build the system of care in such a way that there are more non-institutionalized options, thereby reducing the amount of time an older person needs to stay in a hospital or nursing home, and increasing home-based options and community. Community-based nonprofits also need to build a service base that enables more. This would include sliding fee scale services, allowing them to expand their program offerings and diversify their budgets. They would receive income from older adults who can pay, to help subsidize services for people with limited incomes.
5. Policy changes at all levels of government are absolutely essential to building an adequate care system. It is critical that we create state and local policies that support the development of services in the home and community. There needs to be policy, tax, and budget changes at the state and federal levels that provide incentives and support for basic community services. Agencies should develop budget and service plans that allow for additional revenue streams, including private pay and third-party pay options.
We will need to marshal all the resources of our community and the state to understand and respond to this demographic trend that is shaking our world. It is important that we develop strategies now to ensure that needed services are available to older adults and their families for years to come.