Читать книгу Finances After 55 - Sylvia Lim - Страница 7

According to the Conference Board, there are now seven million Americans who are caring for their aging parents. In a few years, almost 40 percent of all US workers will be more involved with caring for a parent than for a child. In Canada, four-and-a-half million family caregivers provide greater than 80 percent of all home care.

The majority of these caregivers are women. Most of them are spouses and daughters. Often, these women are also caring for their own children — hence the term “sandwich generation,” meaning someone who is sandwiched between the two generations, caring for dependent children and dependent parents. However, not all caregivers are women. Surprisingly, husbands make up nearly half of all caregivers over age 75.

By 2010, 60 percent of adults over age 50 will have a surviving parent, compared to only 16 percent in 1960.

In both the US and Canada, the implications of all of these statistics are enormous. New industries will rise up or evolve to service this growing market, and governments will have to become more innovative in delivering services to this sector of the population. The individual, however, must emphasize early planning for his or her retirement needs, and look at ways to support his or her longer life span and changing lifestyle.