“We're in totally unchartered territory,” Dr. Jonathan M. Evans, chief of geriatrics and palliative medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, said in an interview.
One of the biggest concerns, Dr. Evans said, is that there will not be enough paid caregivers in 20 years or so to meet the needs of the older population, based on current projections. “We will have to fundamentally rethink the way care is provided,” Dr. Evans said.
But it could be an opportunity, he said, to get family members and volunteers involved in providing care within nursing homes and to make nursing homes a part of the community.