Why Caregiver Support Is Needed.

The United States as a nation is getting older. The population aged 65 and over is expected to double in size within the next 25 years according the report “65+ in the United States:2005” published by the National Institute on Aging.

As the county’s population grows, and ages, there are likely to be greater numbers of older people living alone. The first baby boomers will turn 65 in 2011, and by 2030, almost 1 out of every 5 Americans, some 72 million people, will be 65 years or older. Who will help care for them?

Most that find themselves alone in later years are women; in fact, three-quarters of the 10.5 million older Americans living alone in 2003 were women. An alarming fact about this is that according to census reports older women were more likely than older men to be living in poverty (13 percent compared with 7 percent). Especially hard-hit are minority groups with older Blacks (24 percent) and older Hispanics (20 percent) reported to be living in poverty in 2003.

Add to this fact that many of the women in this aging population were themselves caregivers for husbands, and other family members. They now find themselves in the position of needing a little help. Having that role reversed is difficult to accept, especially when coupled with the desire of many older people to maintain their independence. For example there are nearly 17,000 households in Lancaster County in which a person older than 65 lives alone, according to census data.

Much of the care and support of seniors is lovingly being carried by the “Sandwich” group, those sandwiched between aging parents who need care and/or help and their own children. Yet this group needs help in maintaining their dual roles. Many are looking to social agencies for funding and technology for workable solutions to the growing problem.

What do you think?