Who will take care of the "unrelated" elderly?
Lynne Ingersoll and her cat, Jesse, spent a quiet Thanksgiving day together at her little bungalow in Blue Island, Illinois.
A retired librarian, Ms. Ingersoll never married or had children. At 77, she is outlived by her parents, three partners, her two closest friends, five dogs and eight cats.
When her sister died ago three years, Ms. Ingersoll joined the ranks of older Americans considered “unrelated”: without partners or spouses, children or siblings. Covid-19 has also largely suspended her casual get-togethers with friends. Now, she says, "my social life consists of doctors and store clerks - kidding, but it's pretty much true."
Like many older adults, Ms. Ingersoll faces an array of health issues: kidney disease, asthma, heart disease requiring a pacemaker, arthritis that makes walking difficult even with a cane. She's managing, but "I can see a time when that won't be true," she said. "I don't know what I'm going to do about this."
An estimated 6.6% of American adults age 55 and older do not have living spouse or biological children, according to a 2017 study published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. (Researchers often use this definition of unrelatedness because spouses and children are the most likely parents to serve as family caregivers.)
About 1% fit a narrower definition - no spouse or partner, children, and biological siblings. This figure rises to 3% among women over the age of 75.
These are not high proportions, but they represent a large number of people without relatives: nearly than one million older Americans without a spouse or partner, children or siblings in 2019, including about 370,000 women over the age of 75.
"We assume everyone has at least one family, but that's no longer the case," said Rachel Margolis, a sociologist at the University of Western Ontario and co-author of the study.
Several demographic factors have contributed to the rise in unrelatedness Baby boomers have lower marriage rates and higher divorce rates than their parents, and more are The increase in so-called gray divorce, after age 50, also means fewer older married people, and longer lifespans may last r more years without a surviving family.
Lynne Ingersoll and her cat, Jesse, spent a quiet Thanksgiving day together at her little bungalow in Blue Island, Illinois.
A retired librarian, Ms. Ingersoll never married or had children. At 77, she is outlived by her parents, three partners, her two closest friends, five dogs and eight cats.
When her sister died ago three years, Ms. Ingersoll joined the ranks of older Americans considered “unrelated”: without partners or spouses, children or siblings. Covid-19 has also largely suspended her casual get-togethers with friends. Now, she says, "my social life consists of doctors and store clerks - kidding, but it's pretty much true."
Like many older adults, Ms. Ingersoll faces an array of health issues: kidney disease, asthma, heart disease requiring a pacemaker, arthritis that makes walking difficult even with a cane. She's managing, but "I can see a time when that won't be true," she said. "I don't know what I'm going to do about this."
An estimated 6.6% of American adults age 55 and older do not have living spouse or biological children, according to a 2017 study published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. (Researchers often use this definition of unrelatedness because spouses and children are the most likely parents to serve as family caregivers.)
About 1% fit a narrower definition - no spouse or partner, children, and biological siblings. This figure rises to 3% among women over the age of 75.
These are not high proportions, but they represent a large number of people without relatives: nearly than one million older Americans without a spouse or partner, children or siblings in 2019, including about 370,000 women over the age of 75.
"We assume everyone has at least one family, but that's no longer the case," said Rachel Margolis, a sociologist at the University of Western Ontario and co-author of the study.
Several demographic factors have contributed to the rise in unrelatedness Baby boomers have lower marriage rates and higher divorce rates than their parents, and more are The increase in so-called gray divorce, after age 50, also means fewer older married people, and longer lifespans may last r more years without a surviving family.
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