The United States is not the only country that is getting older. A recent senior care survey spanned Germany, Italy, and the U.S. and found that although there are very different attitudes in each of these countries on how large of a role the government should play in elder care, in all three countries, families took on much of the burden.
This survey is extremely important to the U.S. because, after Japan, Germany and Italy have the world’s highest number of people over the age of 65. About 20 percent of their population fits this description, and it is where the U.S. is expected to be by the year 2050 if current trends continue. On some levels, it gives researchers here a small ability to look into the future.
For one, more adults in these European countries are helping their parents than in the U.S. 70 percent of Italians in this situation and 68 percent of Germans are currently caring for an aging parent. Compare that to only 58 percent in the U.S. On the other end of things, more Americans were providing financial support to a loved one: 28 percent in the U.S. Then, compare this to 20 percent in Italy and 18 percent in Germany. It stresses that there is a big burden on the families regardless of how you present it: either time, effort, or money will need to be spent on older parents. Sometimes all three. And, as the U.S. population ages, there will only be more of a need for these commodities to be spent.
These are our family members we are speaking about, and spending our resources on them is not a bad thing. However, when we are better prepared and know in a more accurate fashion what to expect in the future, we can do so more efficiently and more lovingly. Being prepared allows us to give better senior care, and it doesn’t matter if we are doing it ourselves, paying for a professional in-home caregiver, or using an assisted living facility. Informed senior care is better senior care.
In Germany and Italy, where families are more involved than in the U.S., there is a heavy belief that the government should play a more central role when it comes to caring for the elderly. Almost half of individuals in these countries thought that the government should be central, while in the U.S., only 24 percent believed this. This reflects the differences in cultures more than it says anything about the necessity of senior care.
One final concern of note that this survey found was that although younger adult children helped their parents quite a bit, not many younger people were saving for retirement. One big reason is because they didn’t have the ability to. Most younger people are only making enough to get by–in all three countries. There were also concerns on whether Social Security–or the national equivalent–would be around in a few decades to provide for their own needs. This stresses the importance of early planning for your own senior care.
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