Americans Are In Denial About Elder Care
(The Atlantic) – Many assume that if they can afford paid help in older age, they won’t need to rely on kin. They’re wrong.
It is no secret that in the United States, the accessibility and quality of long-term care leave a lot to be desired. But many Americans go through life carrying two big misconceptions about aging. One is that, in the postindustrial world, a ton of elder care is hired out to professionals. The other is that, with sufficient savings and adequate public services, it is possible to avoid relying on kin for help.
These notions are, quite simply, more myth than reality. The Boston University sociologist Deborah Carr told me that in classroom discussions on aging, she routinely hears her undergraduate students echo a “Grandpa Simpson” stereotype of American elder care: They assume that many older people spend their latter years in nursing homes, largely forgotten by their families. But “the proportion of older adults who actually live in a nursing home,” Carr said, “is very, very small.” And even when the elderly are in residential care, family members tend to be highly involved. (Read More)
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