Trey Kay, Marisa Helms Published

Us & Them Encore: Who’s Going To Take Care Of Maw Maw?

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We’re an aging nation. 

Today, 16% of Americans are over 65. In the next few decades, that will double as the youngest Baby Boomers move into old age. But in West Virginia, that future is now. It’s the third oldest state in the nation, and more than 20% of its residents are over 65. At the same time, West Virginia’s birth rate is low because young people are leaving. That generational imbalance will increase in coming years. 

The numbers show a growing crisis. Senior care has shifted from a nursing home model to one focused on aging in place. The cost of care is lower the longer people stay in their homes and that’s led to an explosion in home-based support and care services. But now, those companies can’t find the workers they need to provide services for the growing elderly population. 

This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and the West Virginia Humanities Council.

Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond.

An elderly Black woman sits in a chair in her home and looks up at the camera.
Phyllis Nichols lives in a Section 8 housing facility in Charleston, W.Va., designated for elderly residents and people with disabilities. A specialized caregiver visits several times a week to help her age in place.

Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
An elderly white man wearing a medical mask sits in a doctor's office. He holds a cane.
The Rev. Jim Lewis, a retired Episcopal priest in Charleston, W.Va., waits for a medical appointment. After suffering a series of strokes, Lewis was no longer able to live safely on his own, and his children, who live in other parts of the country, helped move him into an elder care facility.

Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
An elderly white man sits next to an adult man in his early 60s. They both smile for the camera in a selfie style.
Trey Kay visits Rev. Jim Lewis at his new residence in a retirement community.

Photo Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
An older Black man looks off camera as if listening to another speaker. He is formally dressed and is holding a microphone while sitting on a stage.
Eric Hicks, CEO of Right at Home in Charleston, W.Va., helped pioneer the growth of in-home care services after recognizing the coming surge in the elderly population and the shift away from institutional care.

Photo Credit: Bobby Lee Messer
An elderly white man looks toward the camera. He holds a small dog in his lap.
Joe Monk, a retired art professor, talks with his cousin Trey Kay, on the back porch of his cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Bath County, Va., about multigenerational caregiving. Monk grew up watching family members care for elders and later welcomed aging relatives into his own home. He died in December 2024.

Photo courtesy of the Monk Family

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