Jan 27 2012
The Associated Press explores the difficulties involved in being a long-distance caregiver for aging parents and how demographic trends fuel these challenges.
The Associated Press: Millions Now Manage Aging Parents' Care From Afar
As lifespans lengthen and the number of seniors rapidly grows, more Americans find themselves... struggling to care for an ailing loved one from hundreds or thousands of miles away. The National Institute on Aging estimates around 7 million Americans are long-distance caregivers. Aside from economic factors that often drive people far from their hometowns, shifting demographics in the country could exacerbate the issue: Over the next four decades, the share of people 65 and older is expected to rapidly expand while the number of people under 20 will roughly hold steady (Sedensky, 1/26).
Meanwhile, a separate Associated Press story about aging trends focuses on how the U.S. corrections system is grappling with this growing and graying population -
The Associated Press: Prison Dilemma: Surging Numbers Of Older Inmates
In corrections systems nationwide, officials are grappling with decisions about geriatric units, hospices and medical parole as elderly inmates - with their high rates of illness and infirmity - make up an ever increasing share of the prison population. At a time of tight state budgets, it's a trend posing difficult dilemmas for policymakers. They must address soaring medical costs for these older inmates and ponder whether some can be safely released before their sentences expire (Crary, 1/27).
 This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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