Spouses and children of disabled elders: how large a constituency for long-term care reform?

Over 13 million adults in the United States have disabled elderly parents or spouses and are potential providers of long-term care, financial assistance, or emotional support. Articles in the popular press notwithstanding, data from the 1984 National Long-term Care Survey indicate that a relatively small number of adult children and spouses assume the multiple responsibilities of elder care and child care or employment. These individuals form a subset of a much larger group of 4.2 million persons, however, who care for disabled parents or spouses. Current and future availability of spouses and children need to be considered in estimating the demand for formal long-term care and the costs of public programs.