Two-fifths of US adults care for sick, elderly relatives

WASHINGTON, , June 20:  Four in 10 US adults are now caring for a sick or elderly family member as more people develop chronic illnesses and the population ages, a new study has found. “More health care is happening at home,” said Susannah Fox, associate director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life project and the study’s lead author. “As more people are able to be saved by medical advances, their lives are being extended, but they’re also being sent home medically fragile. It’s caregivers who are the first line of defense.”(agencies)