For a generation for whom children are not common and stable couples very rare, the aging baby boomers are in need of care support. How the family circle will evolve to the elderly from now until 2030 has been a topic of many demographic and Long Term Care studies. Traditionally it has always been the family circle which provides care for the elderly. In fact 70% of care provided to frail seniors comes form the informal network - mainly the children or the spouse. This is only possible with today’s elderly (parents of baby boomers’) who have more children to care for them and generally live in stable couples.

Very soon the situation will change. Fewer children per couple, high divorce rate, common-law unions and blended families are few factors to note. Add to this better medical care, lower death rate and rise in the average life expectancy rate has led to people living longer. Those couples who have not separated will be living together longer.

Today’s boomers - tomorrow’s elderly - had fewer children. Who will take care of this generation of seniors? Less than 10% of even those who can afford Long Term Care Insurance of this Baby Boom generation have bought LTCI. Millions of baby boomers have not planned for their long-term care. Many will find themselves in difficult situation, without funds to pay for long term care. They will be forced to turn to the public system to help them pay for their long term care.

The need to develop new programs and new ways to help support the long term care for aging seniors is felt more than ever before right now. Designing new support systems for this increasing aging generation is very strongly needed. The public system needs to adapt when informal services have changed. These are the reasons which have forced the government to try a voluntary plan (the CLASS Act) in the hope that at least a small percentage will do some planning. Of course the best choice a baby boomer can make regarding his long term care is to plan ahead and seek long term care insurance.