Consider this gloomy WSJ article about aging. More Americans Are Aging Alone, Who Will Take Care of Them? The premise? “More than 16 million people aged 65 and older in the U.S. live alone. That represents 28% of that age group, almost triple the share in 1950." Whoa! First of all 20% of the 65+ population is working today. Why? Life expectancy at 65 has risen to the mid-eighties for both women and men, compared to late 60’s, early 70’s in 1950. And a shrinking percentage of Americans live in rural areas today, according to Pew Research. While the article is a compelling description of a heroic organization of underpaid workers serving an Appalachian community, mapping the article to the reality of older adults in the United States today is disingenuous.
The implications of so-called aging in place are really concerning. The Wall Street Journal has tackled that one, cheerful, with suggestions about modifying the home to accommodate an aging future. 9 out of 10 aged 65+ lived in their own homes in 2021. No doubt a greater percentage are doing so today – with one-fifth still working, coupled with many barriers exist to selling and buying a home, downsizing and moving. Given the average life expectancy at 65 is in the mid-80’s today, with more and more people living past aged 90. And the baby boomers, turning 80 in January, do not expect to give up driving, which is one factor that will keep them living at home longer and driving into their late 70’s and beyond – with or without functional impairments.
The broader picture of caregiving in the US is even more worrisome. According to AARP’s recent report, 59 million Americans provide care to an aging adult. While some are paid by agencies to care for their family member, and higher-income caregivers hire home care, two-thirds are unpaid. One in five family caregivers say they are in poor health. Their average age is 51. The senior living and home care organizations appear to be waiting for the burnout of family caregivers, rather than marketing the potential, including options that are subsidized. As assisted living organization executives have said, “We are selling a product that people don’t want to buy.” So the move in the mid-80's becomes an unplanned move due to a fall, worsening chronic disease or dementia. According to the US survey, other than smart home tech, only a small percentage of caregivers have even adopted home safety technology.
Factor in the world of paid caregiving. One of leaders in home care (70,000 in-home care clients), Seth Sternberg, notes in an interview, that out-of-pocket home care is too expensive today for most families. He optimistically asserts that a combination of a trustworthy AI-managed caregiver network and a mix of in-home devices will mitigate the cost problem. As of this past June, according to a report interview in The Future of AI and Older Adults, they were just getting going. It would be nice to see an annual update about adoption of tech (including AI-enabled) in senior living, home care, aging in place, and nursing homes. Comments welcome!
