ElderWeb

When Elder Care Falls to the Young

National Public Radio (NPR), August 21, 2001

By David Molpus

People Under 35 Face Growing Family Care Challenges Maggie Ornstein was a senior in high school and applying to colleges when her 49-year-old mother suffered a brain aneurysm. An only child with no father around, Maggie was suddenly in charge of her mother's care, from insurance forms to dealings with doctors. Five years and many hospital stays later, her mother is greatly improved, yet Maggie remains her primary caregiver. Few people as young as Maggie are thrust into caregiving. But increasingly, Americans in their 20s and 30s are taking on that role. More than a fifth of family caregivers are age 35 and under, statistics indicate. And in coming decades, eldercare will touch young people more and more. On Morning Edition, NPR's David Molpus talks to young caregivers, and tells of the special challenges they face. At a time when their peers are starting careers and enjoying vibrant social lives, young caregivers must put their lives on hold. "My life radically changed when my mother got sick," says David Cassady, a product manager in New York City's fashion industry. "Personally, professionally, I gave up a lot and had to devote my energies to other things -- which were mostly caretaking." Cassady's energetic mother was struck with Alzheimer's at the age of 62, when Cassady was 34. During the past six years, he has helped her cope with her shock at the diagnosis, handled chores and hired home attendants. Such stories are not unusual for many reasons, Molpus discovers. High divorce rates leave spouses without a partner. Women are having babies later in life -- so a mother in her 40s may need eldercare by the time her child is 30. Sometimes, young people care for grandparents if a parent lives far away or there is an estrangement, says gerontologist Donna Wagner of Towson University in Maryland. Most workplaces lack awareness of young caregivers' needs, partly because the field of eldercare is so new. Florida-based Coordinated Care Solutions is one of the first to offer pioneering assistance for these caregivers, ranging from telephone check-ins with patients to coordination of medical care. For now, however, most young caregivers are on their own, with even friends and relatives offering little support. "If anybody had asked me seven years ago, 'If this had happened, would you have been able to handle it?' I would have said, 'Absolutely not,'" says Maggie Ornstein. "And I'm doing it.... You find it within yourself." Other Resources National Alliance for Caregiving - A non-profit organization that provides information and advocacy for caregivers. Elderweb - This site, started by a CPA experienced in finances for the elderly, has 6,000 information links.