The Typical American Lives Only 18 Miles From Mom By QUOCTRUNG BUI and CLAIRE CAIN MILLERDEC. 23, 2015
Grown children are the single greatest source of care for the elderly in the United States, according to AARP. But the supply of family caregivers is not keeping pace with demand, AARP found: There are now seven potential family caregivers for every person over 80, which is expected to fall to four by 2030. Compared with people in two other countries with aging populations, Germany and Italy, Americans are much more likely to say that elder care is a family’s personal responsibility, not a governmental one. Yet Americans are also less likely to say they are providing their parents with help, another Pew Research Center survey found in May.
AGING ALONE IN AMERICA A Briefing Paper Prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families for Older Americans Month Eric Klinenberg New York University Stacy Torres New York University Elena Portacolone University of California, San Francisco May 1, 2013
"Still, living alone poses real challenges to elders. Deteriorating mental or physical health may limit a person’s ability participate in social interactions outside the home. Having no children, or living far away from them, especially increases the risk of social isolation".