Elder-Care Becomes a Major Factor in the American Lifestyle

In addition to the retrained older workers who will remain in the workforce, there will also be growing numbers of even older people, in their 80s and 90s, who will no longer be able to work or even care for themselves.

This puts many people in the so-called "sandwich generation" — that is, in the position of caring for elderly parents while also raising their own children. More than 14 million U.S. workers were taking care of older relatives in a 1997 study. At the time, the cost of these workers' lost productivity was estima.....