Baby boomers may have no one to care for them in old age

[Zorro]

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.

The ratio of potential caregivers to boomers needing care will sink from 7.2 to 1 in 2010 to 2.9 to 1 by 2050, according to the study. “In just 13 years, as the baby boomers age into their 80s, the decline in the caregiver support ratio will shift from a slow decline to a free-fall,” according to the study.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/caregiver/news-for-caregivers/story/2019-04-12/baby-boomers-may-have-no-one-to-care-for-them-in-old-age

Cross-posted from the Editorials forum.

[dhill926]

1. especially those with no kids....like me...

[whathehell]

5. Me too...

I may have to depend on the kindness of strangers.

[dhill926]

7. same here Blanche...

[whathehell]

9. Lol

I thought someone might get the reference.

[livetohike]

10. Same here, but even if one has kids there isn't a guarantee of

helpfulness.

[Rebl2]

19. Exactly right

If they live on the other side of the country, and have been gone for many years, they aren’t as likely to come back and help.

[No Vested Interest]

43. No, they don't come back, but parents very often move near their children, even if to a

senior facility nearby.
Someone in the younger generation is given power of attorney and attends to the financial and medical needs of the older folks.
Responsible people, older and younger, work these problems out before the need.
These decisions ought not be left to chance.

[matt819]

24. Then there's this

As much as I joke with my kids about caring for me when the time comes, they have their lives and I have no interest in disrupting them.

My mother is a soon to be nonagenarian and lives on her own, more than 1,000 miles from either of her children. It’s what she wants. I’m going to try to follow her example and hope that I stay well enough to do so. If not, well, that would suck.

[radical noodle]

11. I have boomer friends with children

and they're still supporting the kids. There's no way those kids will take care of mom & dad unless they think they can drain them of money.

I live in Florida in an area with a lot of retirees. There's been a surge of crime here, primarily committed by the children of boomers who live with their parents.

[Nictuku]

18. Me too

I have no idea how I'm going to take care of my mom when she gets older, she is 77 now. In good health (thank god). I work 125 miles away from the house, I pay all the bills for us. She has no savings, they are going after medicaid... I have no idea how I'm going to cope with the future.

[democratisphere]

2. Need to stay as healthy as possible going into older age as

many of US will only have ourselves to rely on.

[CrispyQ]

37. I remind myself of that daily, in spite of my bad habits.

[democratisphere]

40. What other choice do we have?!

[Canoe52]

3. Us boomers already did the math, and it's horrifying.

My wife and I feel lucky to live in a right to die state.

[radical noodle]

8. You beat me to it

We have kids but I sure don't want to burden them so that they're glad to see us die. I prefer to leave this earth on my own terms and before I need constant care. Unfortunately, we don't live in a right to die state, but I think we'll see more movement in that direction as boomers get to that place.

[Canoe52]

13. My sister in law has been in a nursing home for the past 10 years,

if my wife, a nurse, didn’t double check everything and make sure the right agency paid the right bill at the right time, and make sure the new prescription by this doctor didn’t interfere with another prescription by another doctor, she would have died a slow painful death a long time ago.
Assisted suicide with be the new “groovy” thing we started!

[radical noodle]

27. My mother was an RN

she did the same for her mother, but it was difficult, keeping up with all of it as I'm sure it is for your wife.

The sad thing is that kids often want to keep mom & dad alive but they want nothing to do with their care. I can see them opposing assisted suicide for us. I'm hedging my bets by researching suicide without assistance, just in case.

[appalachiablue]

29. Besides relatives I can see industries strongly opposing

end of life states- life insurance, Big Pharma, home health & retirement services & facilities and others fond of those funds.

https://www.deathwithdignity.org/learn/death-with-dignity-acts/

[radical noodle]

32. Good point

Have you read Being Mortal by Atul Gawande? Not exactly the same thing, but certainly about choices.

[appalachiablue]

36. Thanks, will check it out.

[Siwsan]

4. I looked after my 98 year old aunt (no children). I have no children, so........

I do have a niece and 2 nephews who I know would take me in, but after what I went through, with my aunt, I'm not sure I'd want to burden them. Fortunately, I'm pretty pragmatic about life. When my body stops being able to be self sufficient, I'll probably not take any steps to stick around.

I have my finances in order, and I'd rather leave my estate to my family, than to have it sucked out of the bank by the for-profit medical cartel.

[elleng]

6. Thanks.

Good news for me: My daughter and son-in-law, who already live only 30 miles from me, have an almost 5 year old son and are expecting a girl in July, have a contract on a house 6 miles from where I currently live (in southern MD, on a river.)

There is an apartment in their 'new' house (which is on the river I'm now on AND a little lake,) and they've invited me to move in with them when I am ready to do so.

Fingers crossed, etc etc etc!

[babylonsister]

12. Cool! Now I know where I'm heading!

[elleng]

14. NO JOKE, b'sis, FERGIT florida!!!

[lillypaddle]

16. That's wonderful!

What great kids you have.

[appalachiablue]

21. Glad for you, having family is smart, and vital. PS We'll be

in touch once we set up the nearby 'Senior Colony.' JK, ho. ho.

[elleng]

23. YES, blue; not TOO far!!!

Been reading about benefits of being with grands, and looking forward to being closer than now.

[appalachiablue]

33. Stay well & in touch. Happy Spring, on the water.

[elleng]

34. WILL do!

Just 'caught' dozens of gulls on the sandbar; awaiting osprey hatchling(s.)

[mnhtnbb]

22. That's great.

How fortunate that you will still be on the water, too!

[elleng]

25. YES, and more than fortunate;

it was one of their 'mandatories' when looking for a new house, for them AND for me!

[progressoid]

15. Robots

[lillypaddle]

17. Too expensive to buy and maintain

when you're on social security.

[appalachiablue]

20. Correct, robots aren't an option for many.

[Lifelong Protester]

28. i am moving to CA for that reason.

My husband passed on January 2nd, I have no kids, and my parents are gone. I am currently living with my one sister. She has volunteered to build a small house for me on her property. I am lucky!

[appalachiablue]

30. How fortunate for you, all the best.

[elleng]

35. Wonderful!

I'm in a 'small house' now, and will be in apartment with daughter+ when I'm ready. Good plans for us!

[greymattermom]

31. I'm in an area full of immigrants,

and my daughter and her husband live near me. In the mean time, I'm working on fitness, walking at least 2 miles a day, and have lost a lot of weight now that I don't have the stress of trying to get NIH grants funded, so any mobility issues will be delayed. I can walk a lot better than some folks much younger than me.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

38. I'll be one of them. No kids, divorced spouse,

a couple of nieces I rarely see. Someday I'll fall down the stairs and my cats will eat me before anybody finds me. So it goes.

[3Hotdogs]

39. Kurt Vonnegut wrote a short story about "Ethical Suicide Parlors"

for when we become more overpopulated and health care increases life expectancy.,

[sweetroxie]

41. I'm already in this demographic

Widow, no kids, friends all falling apart and living too far away. I'm 77 with lots of health issues and no one to help me/. Fortunately, I can off myself if things get too hard (I'm on dialysis and if I quit doing it, I will die.) Such a cheery subject

[appalachiablue]

42. Orphans, highly vulnerable