Family relationships

With increased longevity, family relationships have become both more complex and more enduring. At the end of the twentieth century, four-generation and even five-generation families were not uncommon, and with longer life comes longer lifelong relationships, such as marriage. Advanced age presents many families with the challenge of caring for the very old, often at a time when adolescent children also require attention and care. The stress of caregiving can, in some cases, result in abuse of the elderly family member. Today's aging families operate in a complex society and may confront legal considerations around issues related to illness and death.