Taking Care of Aging Parents Late in Life

A study from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College is the first to document how often adult children in their 60s and 70s increasingly take care of their older parents, reports Kaiser Health News . The researchers estimated that 10 percent of adults ages 60 to 69 whose parents are living serve as caregivers, as do 12 percent of adults age 70 and older. The team analyzed data from 80,000 interviews between 1995 and 2010 for the Health and Retirement Study. They found approximately 17 percent of adult children care for their parents at some point in their lives, and the probability of doing so increases with age. Boston College's Alice Zulkarnain notes later-life caregiving comes with significant challenges, with such assistance exerting strain on older bodies. University of Pittsburgh Professor Richard Schulz also warns of emotional stress, saying, "If older caregivers have health problems themselves and become mentally or emotionally stressed, they're at a higher risk of dying." Furthermore, older caregivers can be more socially isolated than younger caregivers, and they face the risk of depleting hard-earned savings with no possibility of replacing them by resuming employment.