Concerns about the aging population's financial and health stability are on the radar of the government and companies who need to make changes to support caregivers. HealthMaker Debra Whitman details the issue in this video.
Caring for old people is now the same conversation we might have had 20 years ago about working women needing to care for children. And we haven't been there are quite a few in line companies that are seeing that they need to have some flexibility in order to retain their workers, but that's a really important piece because we don't want people to lose their jobs and their futures just to take care of somebody else.
We also need to look at the way we pay for healthcare because right now we pay for the medical services and not always for some of the other social services that people may need. We need to look at the mix between public and private care, we need to look at the cost of these services, $90, 000 a year for nursing home is more than most people have saved for their entire retirement.
Debra Whitman is AARP’s executive vice president for policy, strategy and international affairs. She is an authority on aging issues with experience in national policymaking, domestic and international research and the political process.
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