Caring for elderly parents

When writer Jonathan Rauch's elderly father became incapable of taking care of himself, he found himself in a situation familiar to many other middle-aged Americans-the decline of a parent. He argues the cultural infrastructure of elder care in America is all but nonexistent.

Guests

• Jonathan Rauch: Senior writer for the National Journal, contributing editor for The Atlantic and a guest scholar at the Brookings Institution. His article "Letting Go of My Father" appears in the recent issue of The Atlantic.
• Paula Span: Author of "When the Time Comes." She also contributes to the New Old Age blog for the New York Times.

Resources

• Jonathan Rauch: "Letting Go of My Father"
• New York Times: The New Old Age
• Family Caregiver Alliance
• National Alliance for Caregiving
• "When the Time Comes"