Who takes care of the elderly in the United States today
The fact is that family members provide over 80% of the care that elderly people
need. In most cases the elderly live in their own homes, a very small percentage
of America’s elderly live in nursing homes. Samuel Preston, a
sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, studied how the American family
is changing. He reported that by the time the average American couple reaches
about 40 years of age, their parents are usually still alive. The statistics
show the change in lifestyles and responsibilities of aging Americans. The
average middle-aged couple can look forward to caring for elderly parents
sometime after their own children have grown up. Moreover, because people
today live longer after an illness than people did years ago, family members
must provide long-term care. These facts also mean that after caregivers provide
for their elderly parents, who will eventually die, they will be old and may
require care too. When they do, their spouses (配偶) will probably take care of
them because they have had fewer children than their parents did.
Because Americans are living longer than ever, more social workers have
begun to study ways of care giving to improve the care of the elderly. They have
found that all caregivers share a common characteristic: they believe that they
are the best people for the job. The social workers have also discovered three
basic reasons why the caregivers take on the responsibility of caring for an
elderly, dependent relative. Many caregivers believe they had an obligation (职责)
to help their relatives. Some think that helping others makes them feel more
useful. Others hope that by helping someone now, they will deserve care when
they become old and dependent. Who will most probably take care of the middle-aged Americans when they
need care themselves
A.They themselves.
B.Their close friends.
C.Their children.
D.Their husbands or wives.