Top 10 Eldercare Facts

1. Projected number of caregivers in the US: 65.7 million (31% of all households)
   Projected number caring for someone over age 50: 7 out of 10¹

2. Caregivers who care for a relative: 86%
   Those caring for a parent: 36%¹

3. Number of Americans age 55 and older: 60 million (21% of the total U.S. population)
   Projected growth in the next 20 years (2030): to 107.6 million (to 31% of the population)²

4. American caregivers who are female: 66%
   Average age of female caregivers: 48 years old¹

5. Main problems or illnesses of people being cared for: "old age" (12%), Alzheimer's disease (10%), mental/emotional illness (7%), cancer (7%), heart disease (5%), and stroke (5%)¹

6. Time per week caregivers spend providing care: 20 hours¹

7. Caregivers in full-time jobs: 59%¹

8. Yearly average expense to adult children caring for an aging parent: $5,534
   What this pays for: out-of-pocket expenses such as medications, safety equipment, and bath necessities¹

9. Average life expectancy of Americans born in 1968: 70.5 years
   Average life expectancy of those born in 2010: 78.3 years³

10. Americans over age 65 who will get Alzheimer's: 1 in 8
    Those over age 85 who will get Alzheimer's: 1 in 2⁴

¹ Caregiving in the U.S., National Alliance for Caregiving with AARP and MetLife, 2009
² U.S. Census Bureau, 2009
³ CRS Report for Congress, 2009
⁴ Alzheimer's Association