National Family Caregiver Month

 The Silver Tsunami is here! Between 2000 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years will double from about 11 percent to 22 percent. The absolute number of people aged 60 years and over is expected to increase from 605 million to 2 billion over the same period. The number of people aged 80 years or older will have almost quadrupled between 2000 and 2050 to 395 million. There is no historical precedent for a majority of middle-aged and older adults having living parents, as is already the case today. More children will know their grandparents and even their great-grandparents, especially their great-grandmothers. On average, women live six to eight years longer than men.
With that said, the role of Family Caregiver, already staggering, will increase exponentially.  The Sandwich Generation, those who are sandwiched between caring for their own children while also caring for aging parents, is a byproduct of the Silver Tsunamis and growing vastly as well.  According to estimates from the National Alliance for Caregiving, during the past year, 65.7 million Americans (or 29 percent of the adult U.S. adult population involving 31 percent of all U.S. households) served as family caregivers for an elderly, ill or disabled relative. An AARP Report Values unpaid Family Caregiving at $450 Billion, and that’s a five year-old statistic!  Family caregivers will often neglect their own health, quit their jobs, and begin to feel isolated and depressed as they are consumed by their role.
So, happy National Family Caregiver month to these noble beings! A mere month is not enough.  If you, or someone you know, is living the role of a family caregiver, please take care of yourself! Find a support group, reach out for help! Respite care is invaluable to allow time for you.
Myles McNamara is the owner of Comfort Keepers In-Home Care, and can be reached at 661-287-4200.