are not necessary consequences of the aging process, both tend to increase with age as a result of underlying chronic disease. A product of the demographic aging of the population, especially the rapid growth of the most highly disabled segment of the elderly population (i.e., those 85 and older), is that the elderly population is becoming increasingly more disabled over time despite biomedical and public health interventions.
Family members and friends continue to provide the major portion of longterm care to the elderly in society. However, family members who take care of their elderly parents do so at great personal cost. The problem of role reversal is involved, i.e., parent/child versus child/parent, resulting in caregivers frequently reporting physical health problems and emotional distress as consequences of providing informal care for an elderly loved one.
Although placement of an elderly relative in a nursing home may seem like an ideal option for relieving the burden of caregiving, family members often experience grief and turmoil over th
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