The silent crisis: women and the need for long-term care insurance. Part 2

As the number of people living longer increases and the proportion of women to men in the older age brackets grows larger, the imbalance between economic and social factors also increases. Women make up greater numbers of nursing home and assisted living facility residents, and must impoverish themselves to qualify for Medicaid assistance to remain in these facilities. Women also make up the majority of caregivers for elderly parents remaining at home, causing physical, mental, and emotional stress, in addition to affecting their working lives and earning potential. These economic and physical stressors are the subject of the second part of a three-part examination of women's need for long-term care insurance.