By By Jane Gross - Published: December 18, 2008 - New York Times
The economic downturn threatens the tens of millions who care for aging friends and family members.
A wise source-turned-friend, Carol Levine, who is director of the families and health care project at the United Hospital Fund in New York City, a MacArthur fellow, and editor of “Always on Call: When Illness Turns Families Into Caregivers,” has written an eye-opening essay in the Albany Times Union about what could happen in the current economic climate to the “invisible workforce” of Americans, 34 million in all, who each year provide an estimated $375 billion worth of unpaid care to aging and ailing relatives and friends.
Ms. Levine notes that “family members are the bedrock of the health care system in ordinary times, but these are extraordinary times.” Pressure is building on the finances of both the elderly and infirm, and on the family members who often provide hands-on care or subsidize its cost, paying for all manner of uncovered expenses.
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