The Availability of Care for Late-Middle-Aged Adults With Chronic ...

Chapter 1

Introduction

Among the most critical issues facing society today is the provision of community support for people of all ages who require assistance to perform daily living tasks. Researchers have documented the support systems and needs of older persons, children with special health care needs, and young persons transitioning into adulthood. While the United States may not yet have solved many of the challenges of providing adequate supports to these populations, researchers at least have a good sense of the nature of those challenges and are working toward that end. Somewhat surprising, then, is their nearly complete lack of knowledge about the support systems and needs of a rapidly growing population of adults who are not yet considered old but who nevertheless need help due to traumatic injury, the congenital illnesses of childhood and young adulthood, and/or the early onset of chronic diseases typically associated with later life, for example, arthritis, heart disease, and cancer.