Aging in America: Essential considerations in shaping senior care policy

A rapidly aging US population will transform our society. The economic system will be challenged by the growing number of retirees. It is unlikely that families will be able to maintain their role as the primary instrument of care for disabled older people. Formal long-term care for the disabled is more costly and the formal long-term care system will have increasing difficulty recruiting workers. For reasons of preference and cost-effectiveness, aging in place has merit, but several issues related to housing and transportation need to be addressed in order to encourage that trend. While technology is being developed to impact on most other aspects of modern life, its use to promote safe independent living for older people lags significantly behind. The healthcare system is not prepared for the nature and volume of care related to this demographic shift. Many of these issues could be ameliorated by delaying retirement and better accommodating older workers.