While this demographic phenomenon is to be celebrated, it is also expected to place increasing demands on those who care for our elderly population—a group that uses considerably more services than younger people and whose health and long-term-care needs are often more complex. Elders are more likely to suffer from multiple chronic physical and mental illnesses, have higher levels of functional disability, use multiple medications, and have higher rates of dementia and other cognitive impairments (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, 2007).