[turtle4]

People acting as though this is nothing new are ignoring how the system and numbers have changed over time.

  - There used to be more children per family, so the burden was shared. The parents in question had fewer children, and now a single person is often responsible for both parents.
  - There are fewer and fewer middle class families. The younger generation is more and more barely able to foot their own bills, let alone take on additional for additional care for another dependent. 
  - The expected life span has risen, so parents are spending additional years alive, often long past when they simply would have passed previously.
  - Rates of dementia and Alzheimer's continue to rise, and require an entirely different level of care than someone who simply can't drive or get around and needs check ins once a day. Round the clock caregiving is an entirely different animal. 

Taken together, the burden on children taking care of their parents has never been higher. Either the support system will grow, or we're going to see a rise in mental breakdowns among the current caregiving population, imo, because they are being put in increasingly hopeless situations.

Regardless of whether you morally want to take care of your parents, the bottom line is people can only do so much and be so strong. It's really difficult.

[anotherhue]

Excellent summary.