What percentage of non-elderly American adults can’t take care of themselves

[Anonymous]

I don’t mean everyone who doesn’t work, or people who work but don’t make enough and are occasionally homeless.

I mean people who, because of disability or other dysfunction, require the care and support of others financially and also in terms of managing daily life.

So I’m not talking about SAHMs or students who are supported by someone but could go out and support themselves if that stopped.

Does anyone know of census or other research that gets at this? I appreciate that a lot of these people are just cared for by their family, so how do you get an estimate?

[Anonymous]

no one here knows

[Anonymous]

More in life than I thought. Guess they were kept away from me in childhood

[Anonymous]

This depends entirely in how you define words like disability, help, and supports. Does Meals on Wheels count? How about adaptive technology in apartments that convert audio fire alarms to visual for dead people? What about people that can do fine alone if there is infrastructure such as reliable public transport or at least an Uber or taxi service, but not otherwise? How about people that aren't safe to cook on a has it electric stove but can manage on their own with a microwave and a good refrigerator?

Electricity? Running water? About 30-40% of people living on the Navajo Nation reservation don't have these, bit could most people survive and thrive long term without those supports and assistances to make life easier?

It sounds like a simple question, but it really requires a lot of unpacking.

[Anonymous]

Heavens, "for DEAF people". My apologies

[Anonymous]

Also, "to cook on a gas or electric stove"

My phone is a slippery through today.

[Anonymous]

Are you referencing people deemed perpetually unemployable - due to intellectual impairment, chronic health conditions and/or mental illness? I work for a non profit and we discuss these numbers and try our hardest to support these people and their families and caretakers.

[Anonymous]

I don’t mean people who need adaptive technology or ada accommodations, I mean people who will end up unhoused and/or unsafe unless someone is taking care of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you referencing people deemed perpetually unemployable - due to intellectual impairment, chronic health conditions and/or mental illness? I work for a non profit and we discuss these numbers and try our hardest to support these people and their families and caretakers.

How many do you think it is?

[Anonymous]

Census provides data on the number of disabled people

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t mean people who need adaptive technology or ada accommodations, I mean people who will end up unhoused and/or unsafe unless someone is taking care of them.

So you are specifically asking about how many persons in the US need a personal caretaker or personal assistant, or some specific individual who informally fulfills that role -- e.g, a spouse or significant other, or offspring that lives with them, in order to stay alive? How many people who can't take care of themselves enough to survive without individual caretaking from another human being, regardless of however much technology could be thrown at them?

Is that a fair depiction of what you are looking for?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t mean people who need adaptive technology or ada accommodations, I mean people who will end up unhoused and/or unsafe unless someone is taking care of them.

So you are specifically asking about how many persons in the US need a personal caretaker or personal assistant, or some specific individual who informally fulfills that role -- e.g, a spouse or significant other, or offspring that lives with them, in order to stay alive? How many people who can't take care of themselves enough to survive without individual caretaking from another human being, regardless of however much technology could be thrown at them?

Is that a fair depiction of what you are looking for?

Yeah, pretty much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t mean people who need adaptive technology or ada accommodations, I mean people who will end up unhoused and/or unsafe unless someone is taking care of them.

So you are specifically asking about how many persons in the US need a personal caretaker or personal assistant, or some specific individual who informally fulfills that role -- e.g, a spouse or significant other, or offspring that lives with them, in order to stay alive? How many people who can't take care of themselves enough to survive without individual caretaking from another human being, regardless of however much technology could be thrown at them?

Is that a fair depiction of what you are looking for?

Yeah, pretty much.

I'm not sure that even if you asked every single person directly, that you'd get an accurate number. People are often in denial about these sorts of things, and given how you are asking the question, there's no objective measure to capture it -- not disability claims, not DME order tallies, not medical diagnoses on record.

I think the best you'll get is asking posterior about their best guesses as to the percentages in the people you know, and that will be utterly riddled with biases.

[Anonymous]

(asking people)

[Anonymous]

I no idea what the answer to this question is but I am desperately curious why OP wants to know. Will you tell us, OP?