America Is Running Out of Family Caregivers, Just When It Needs Them Most

Posted on July 24, 2018 by Jodi Boyne

Many Americans are now aging without family caregivers nearby, reports the Wall Street Journal.

An estimated 34.2 million people currently provide unpaid care to those 50 and older, at a collective annual value of $500 billion, according to a 2017 Merrill Lynch study. In addition, the ratio of caregivers to recipients has been declining since its peak in 2010, largely due to shifting family dynamics. 

"Families have fewer children, older adults are more likely to have never married or to be divorced, and adult children often live far from their parents or may be caring for more than one adult or their own children," notes a 2016 National Academy of Sciences study. 

With demand for private home health aides expected to outstrip supply in the next decade, such assistance is often unaffordable, while Medicare and other government programs only deliver a fraction of the long-term supportive services that people need to age at home. 

Reliance on non-traditional and/or mobile caregiving will need to be considered as options for the future, including a greater reliance on monitoring devices and delivery services. To read more, see America is Running Out of Family Caregivers.