Going Uncomfortably into that Good Night

The boomer puzzle.

The decline of family connections and traditional social organizations (churches, Elks/Kiwanis/Freemasons, etc.) heralds a grim future for many baby boomers: [bold added]

According to the American Association of Retired Persons, 70% of people over 65 will need long-term services and support, but many won’t get it because there aren’t enough caregivers. This shortage, the AARP says, is going to get worse in the next decade. There will be a national shortage of 151,000 caregivers by 2030...

In “The Silken Tent,” Robert Frost praises a person who is “loosely bound / by countless silken ties of love and thought.” Unfortunately, an increasing number of elderly Americans lack these ties; they are childless or live far from family. Many also are unaffiliated with a church or synagogue.....

According to a Harvard study, 58% of Americans over 80 live alone. “As the baby boomers cross into their 80s over the next 20 years, the numbers of single-person households among the oldest age group will grow dramatically, from 4.7 million households in 2018 to an estimated 10.1 million in 2038.” And many of them are likely to suffer from cognitive decline. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “It’s estimated that as many as half of people 85 years of age and older have dementia.”

The boomer generation in our family has been lucky so far. We have reasonably good health for our ages (61-72) and financial resources are adequate. On the other hand, none of us has more than two children, and the "silken ties of love" aren't the thick safety net that our parents had.

Pursuing professional success and keeping families small was a trade-off that most boomers made, and I suspect many of us have regrets about that choice.