Sharing the Financial Responsibility of Caring for Parents

In the Best Interest of the (Adult) Child: Ideas About Kinship Care of Older Adults

“…By 2030, 19% of Americans will be 65 and older (Swartz, 2011). It is problematic that 28.5% of American households care for kin, when studies report such negative effects on children and our interviews highlight the felt burden on the part of the older adult parents (National Alliance for Caregiving & AARP, 2009).…”

“…Merz, Schuengel and Schulze (2009) found that the emotional and physical support received from parents was strongly associated with the level of support their children then provided to their parents as adults. Other researchers note the increase risk of anxiety and depression (Dura, Stukenberg & Kiecolt-Glaser, 1991), absenteeism at work (Boise & Neal, 1996), detrimental effect on interpersonal relationships (Chenoweth & Spencer, 1986), and financial strain (Swartz, 2011) that caregiving produces. Similarly, Fingerman et al (2012) found that children typically support their parents if they too received support during their development, once again supporting the notion that prior relationships heavily influence future kinship care.…”