A Matter of Growth

The term “caregiver”—applied to those who provide care in the home setting for the elderly or ill—has become a commonly used term in our language. It is a term encountered more and more frequently in its application to those who have an elderly parent in their care. Statistics show that on any given day at least seven million Americans concern themselves with this task. And their numbers are growing rapidly. Millions of Americans concern themselves with this task every day. By the year 2040 it is projected that the number of Americans over 65 will have expanded from the present 35 million to over 75 million. And the “oldest old”—those over 85—will increase from somewhat over 4 million at present to 14 million or so.