turtle4

  - There used to be more children per family, so the burden was shared. The parents in question had fewer children, and now a single person is often responsible for both parents.
  - There are fewer and fewer middle class families. The younger generation is more and more barely able to foot their own bills, let alone take on additional for additional care for another dependent. 
  - The expected life span has risen, so parents are spending additional years alive, often long past when they simply would have passed previously.
  - Rates of dementia and Alzheimer's continue to rise, and require an entirely different level of care than someone who simply can't drive or get around and needs check ins once a day. Round the clock caregiving is an entirely different animal.