Aging Into Poverty

by Kathy Sharp

While one in five of us will need significant assistance with the activities of daily living or long-term care for more than five years, costing as much as $100,000 per year, about 50% of women ages 55 to 66 have no personal retirement savings. Aging Into Poverty spotlights the looming crisis for American women, their families, and communities.
Author Kathy Sharp details the history and public policy decisions that have consigned so many senior women to spend the end of their lives on waiting lists for care and dependent on public assistance. Aging Into Poverty is a compelling personal narrative drawing from the experience of a caregiver who scrambled to put supports in place as her mother, a retired CPA, outlived her savings as her deteriorating health needs required an escalating level of care. Sharp describes the options for senior care in the United States detailing the budget and eligibility requirements. The system is designed so that the dependent elderly must be impoverished in order to qualify for Medicaid which is the only source of public subsidy for long term care. Many seniors do not realize that Medicare does not cover long term care.
Sharp recognized that her mother's experience was not unique, and that her learnings and solutions could help other dependent senior women and their caregivers generate options and secure resources. Drawing on the work of Dr. Keren Wilson, one of the early pioneers in assisted living, Aging Into Poverty describes the framework for evaluating options for senior housing and healthcare which maximize autonomy and community.

196 pages, Paperback

Published August 8, 2022

About the author

Kathy Sharp lives by the sea in Weymouth, Dorset. She is a prolific writer of short fiction, and song lyrics for local choir Island Voices, and is the author of the Larus Series of novels, inspired by the dramatic scenery of the Jurassic Coast. Whales and Strange Stars is the first book in her new Wych Ferry Series.
Kathy says: "When I first began writing fiction, I asked myself what exactly it was I wanted to write. The answer came back, 'Something magical!' The result was three novels about the not-quite-real Isle of Larus. Since then, I have looked for that sense of the magical in all my writing."

Reviews

[Kacey Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important, insightful, informative!

Kathy’s new book tells a powerful story about her mom’s experience, details the history and public policy decisions, and concludes with actionable resource kits and solutions for all.

[Christina Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with real life stories and insight many of us have yet to experience on our own. As a woman I found this fascinating and bought a copy for my sister as well as several aunts. Definitely worth the time to read and gain knowledge of what to consider as we age in America.