Baby boomers may lack caregivers in old age
By Walter Hamilton, Los Angeles Times
Baby boomers may have no one to care for them in their old age.
Shifting demographics mean that aging boomers will have fewer friends and family members to take care of them as they get into their 80s, according to a new study by AARP.
In other words, even though you may be supporting your own elderly parents, the chances of someone being there for you are numerically diminished.
No doubt publicized by the providers of Long Term Care insurance. . .
Our plan is to care for ourselves, and hopefully we will be able to stay ahead of that every step of the way. I would never expect our kids to care for us. At some point we may not have a choice, due to the care needed, and we will end up in a nursing home.
Hopefully, with the memory of us taking care of our parents, we’ll be better prepared for our golden years. I would imagine, also, that the marketplace will see an opportunity to help the Boomers organize their resources into, perhaps, more communal living, a step or two above Senior Living.
Might be time to activate that “Soylent Green” program!
I favor the communal living idea, though I think the commune should include at least one young and able person to drive and to help take care of the house and yard — maybe a gerontology student.
My mother died of Parkinson’s after 10 years of decreasing independence and increasing care needs. Since she wouldn’t live with her children, it’s fortunate she was able to afford in-home care. Heads up, folks: 24/7 care cost her $20,000 a month! That was for shift workers, not a live-in caregiver. (I don’t recommend live-in care. It’s too much of a grind for the worker, and too much opportunity for elder abuse.)
I won’t be able to afford in-home care, and there won’t be enough tax money to cover the needs of all of us, even at the minimal level available through nursing homes. My end-of-life plan includes maintaining the kind of relationship with my kids that will keep them involved. Beyond that, either sudden death or an ice floe….