Judy Riggs, Alzheimer's Association

The issue of demographics is absolutely essential, and looking toward the future there is the transitional role of the baby boomer generation, first as caregivers for the parents, then as caregivers for each other and, ultimately, as care consumers. An important issue for them is the financial need of all this care. Families may not be able to rely on Medicare alone for caregiving expenses, and they may have to explore such alternatives as long-term care insurance sooner than they expect to.

Another aspect is the fact that there are fewer elderly women living alone because their spouses are living longer. In fact, couples are living longer together, and that's going to change the caregiving dynamic.

Finally, there is this new, somewhat controversial data suggests that disability among the elderly is declining in fairly significant ways, and that is going to change things as well.

Issues that Matter | Caregiving Professionals Forum