Caring for A Growing Population of Frail Elders: The Topic Presidential Candidates Won't Talk About

In 1935 when Social Security in the U.S became law, many fewer people lived long enough to collect benefit than is the case today. In 1935 the average life expectancy was 67 years. Today the average life expectancy is 77 years, and the fastest growing segment of our population are those over 85.

Think about it. We developed a system to fund the retirment of people who were expected to collect benefits-on average-for 2-3 years. The funding of that system was based on 16 active working people paying into the system, for every person getting a SS check.

Today there are 3 workers for every recipient. In less than 25 years there will be 1 person drawing a social security check for every two workers. Instead of supporting Social Security recipients for 2-3 years, those two working people will be expected to support each retiree over 65 for at least 12 years!

As age increases, the need for long-term care also increases. While approximately three percent of persons aged 65-69 will need long-term care, approximately five percent of those aged 70-79 and 17 percent of those aged 80-84 will require long-term care. For those aged 85 and older, more than one-third will require long-term care. In aggregate, 42 percent of all individuals over the age of 65 will enter a nursing home in their lifetime.

t in 1935 fewer people lived long enough to collect benefits; the average life expectancy was 67 years. Today the average life expectancy is 77 years, and there are more than 48 million recipients. A more detailed history of Social Security is available at www.ssa.gov/history.and in Europe were first

Recently, however, quality improvement methods successfully used in other fields have taken hold in health care in general and in long-term care in particular. New data suggest that real improvement is occurring, although there is widespread agreement that much more needs to be done.

Paid Care Workers Report High Depression Rates

Nearly 11 percent of personal care and service workers reported having one or more major depressive episode in the past year, the highest rate of depression among full-time workers, ages 18-64, according to a new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Personal care workers, whose jobs include caring for seniors, disabled people, and children, reported depressive episodes lasting two weeks or longer. In all, the report tracked depression in 21 major occupational categories.

According to the report, depression leads to $30-$44 billion in lost productivity annualy. For more information about the study, visit the Web site of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Family Members are Feeling the Pinch of Elder Caregiving

Family members caring for an aging parent or spouse spend, on average, 10 percent of their household income on this care, which includes spending on groceries and household goods, drugs and medical co-payments, and transportation. These findings are part of a report recently released by the National Alliance on Caregiving, which urges government relief for family caregivers, in the form of tax deductions, tax credits, or other stipends—all of which have stalled in Congress in the past, according to The New York Times.

On average, family caregivers spend $183 each month on household goods and food for their family member(s), $128 on transportation, $337 on medical co-payments and drugs, $107 on clothing, and $316 on home repair and maintenance ($316).