by Robert Jawitz

Eldercare is quickly becoming one of the most vexing issues confronting the culture of the 20 th and 21 st centuries. Before the 1 st world war, the care of the elder generation took place within the family homestead. This is true in the USA as well as in Europe and Asia. In Asia, the elderly were revered for their wisdom and were given a dominant position in the society and the family. But this is changing. It is changing because Asia, particularly Japan and China, have been following the American economic model. Now, because both spouses in a young or middle-aged family must work, there is no time to provide care for the elderly. Even Japan is looking to the USA for ideas on how to address this issue.