Fordham Law Professor Eleanor Brown argues in this op-ed for American Society on Aging’s Generations Now—which features short-form, member-driven commentary on timely aging-related issues—why a specialized elder-care visa program is needed in the United States.
More Americans than ever before will live to 100 in coming years, with the number of those ages 100 or older projected to more than quadruple by 2054. Within a decade, older adults will outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history. As our population ages, many more Americans will likely be unable to live independently.
Who will care for our rapidly aging population? We will need many more care workers. Overwhelmingly, they will be migrants. The agriculture and construction sectors have made clear that President Trump’s immigration policies threaten an essential workforce. However, there has been near silence on elder care. The President’s hardline stance on immigration ignores the reality of an older population and the desperate need for workers to care for them.
Read “Without Immigrants, Our Caregiving System Could Collapse” on Generations Now.