Massachusetts has an elder care crisis – and it’s about to get a lot worse
ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Sponsored by The Boston Foundation The Best of CommonWealth Beacon OPINION (Illustration via Pixabay by geralt) Massachusetts has an elder care crisis -- and it's about to get a lot worse March 1, 2026 By Harry S. Margolis What totally predictable crisis will start in just five years? The doubling of the need for elder care. And Massachusetts is not prepared for it. A dangerous demographic cliff lies just ahead: There’s been a lot of chatter about the vast demographic bulge that we call “baby boomers” passing 65; but the real news is that the oldest baby boomers will begin celebrating their 85th birthdays in 2031. The Census Bureau projects that, nationally, the number of people 85 and over will double from 2030 to 2050. Here in Massachusetts, the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute projects that our 85-plus population will expand by about two-thirds – a smaller increase because we’re already one of the older states...