There was a time when the elderly who couldn't take care of themselves moved in with the family of one of their (grand)children.
Of course, back then, it was not as common for one to live long enough for that to happen. But, when it did, instead of being out chasing a buck, the woman of the house would actually be at home to care for her mother(-in-law).
I agree with the Libertarian solution suggested above. Bush is a failure to provide leadership on this issue, but then again he didn't run as a fiscal conservative. I guess the "compassionate" label means he's willing to impose even higher tax rates on my kids.
I'm not sure what the answer is, but where we're headed is not a great place.