US: NYT launches new blog on caring for elderly parents

Posted by Sarah Schewe on July 10, 2008 at 7:29 AM

The New York Times has launched a new blog, The New Old Age, to discuss a growing crisis for Americans - caring for elderly parents who are living longer than ever before, in a healthcare system that has never before dealt with this level of demand.

"Adults over age 80 are the fastest growing segment of the population, and most will spend years dependent on others for the most basic needs," explains blogger Jane Gross. "That burden falls to their baby boomer children... who are flummoxed by the technicalities of eldercare, turned upside down by the changed architecture of their families, struggling to balance work and caregiving, and depleting their own retirement savings in the process."

Boomers - some 77 million strong - are responding. One of Gross' early posts already has 673 comments.

The New Old Age adds to 59 currently updated NYT blogs.

Source: The New York Times