Marian Sunabe drives from her home in South Pasadena to visit her 100-year-old mother, Reiko Kobata, in Gardena about once a week. During a recent visit, they discussed the high costs of elder care, a topic that weighs heavily on many families. Kobata, who values her independence, has had a daytime caregiver for the past four years. However, after a recent fall and illness, a nighttime caregiver has also become necessary.
The cost of care is staggering. A 13½-hour daytime shift costs $320, and an 11-hour nighttime shift is just under $300, totaling about $620 a day. This adds up to an eye-watering $18,600 a month when both caregivers are needed. When the night shift isn’t required, the monthly bill is still significant, nearly half that amount.
Sunabe expressed concern about how most families could afford such expenses. Many people she knows have had to leave their jobs to care for aging parents, often draining their savings. “It’s not a good system,” she said. The situation reflects a national crisis, as the U.S. struggles to keep up with the growing needs of an aging population.
Paul Irving, a senior advisor at the Milken Institute, pointed out that Americans are not prepared for the challenges of caregiving. Many discover that essential care is not covered by health insurance, forcing middle-class families to deplete their resources to qualify for Medicaid. This creates a troubling cycle where families face financial ruin just to provide care for their loved ones.
Kobata’s family is trying to manage the situation by pooling resources from Social Security, rental income, pensions, long-term care insurance, and retirement savings. However, caregivers often earn low wages due to the high fees charged by agencies, which can take up to half of the total payment. This makes it difficult to attract more workers to a field already facing a critical shortage.
Many caregivers, particularly those from the Philippines, work without legal status and off the books to save families money. They often live in cramped conditions and face the constant fear of deportation.
As the population ages, the demand for caregivers will only increase. By 2040, it is projected that 9 million Californians will be 65 or older, making up 22% of the population. Families may have to adopt practices common in immigrant cultures, such as living together and sharing caregiving responsibilities.
During the visit, Kobata, despite her age, appeared to be in good spirits and health. She enjoys her daily routine, which includes gardening and reading the newspaper. Sunabe noted that her mother is comfortable in her home, but she worries about the long-term implications of their current care situation.
The conversation highlighted a broader issue: the lack of affordable, quality elder care options in the U.S. Families are often left to find solutions on their own, with few resources available to help them manage the costs. As the aging population continues to grow, the need for systemic change in elder care becomes increasingly urgent.