Care for our aging parents

There will soon be a grave problem in this country: Care for our aging parents.

I and my siblings are in that "rock and a hard place" right now with our mom. As her Alzheimer's progresses, we are faced with the decision to opt for an assisted living environment. The average monthly cost for this is between $2500 and $3000 per month. Granted, it includes all meals, medication administration and a safe, community environment, but---wow, it ain't cheap.

There is also the issue of the individual you are desperately trying to make the safest, best decisions for is really resentful for being told she can't live independently.
No good dead goes unpunished....

My siblings and I will have to split up the cost that is the difference between what Mom's pension pays and what the costs are.
But it is only going to get worse. Alzheimer's care is about twice that....

If Mom were mentally with it, she could stay with one of us, but, sadly, that is not the case. Working full time means the equivalent of leaving your 7 year old at home alone.
Not an option. Such a convoluted issue...

What of the people out there who do not have kids who care about them or the financial wherewithal to have care?
What are we to do with our elderly population? Our nation does not have the services set up to deal with this. This is just the beginning of the onslaught that is to come. I fear the worst as the gap between medicaid/medicare and financial capability of an individual widens. The cost of medications alone can really harm an elder's "fixed income."

So many issues we have to face in the coming future.