As life expectancy
in the United States continues to move higher, the number of people
over age 65 will grow dramatically in the coming decades. Likewise,
the "oldest old," those individuals age 85 or older, are
the fastest growing segment of the population. These men and women
are pioneers in the country of extended old age.
Visions
of retirement don't typically include attending parent-teacher conferences
and helping with nightly homework. Yet for more and more seniors, that
is the reality. Over the past 10 years, the number of children being
raised in grandparent-headed households has increased by 30 percent.
