Caregiving
What is a caregiver?
Disability and the need for long-term care are not inevitable consequences of aging. Older people, however, are more likely to have chronic conditions (e.g., heart disease, arthritis) and functional impairment that hinder their ability to lead an active and independent life.
Among people needing help with daily activities, 65 percent depend solely on family and friends and an additional 30 percent supplement family care with services from paid providers. Only 5 percent rely exclusively on paid services such as those provided by assisted living or nursing facilities. If the work of caregivers had to be replaced by paid home care workers, the estimated national costs would be $45-94 billion per year.
While informal caregiving reduces demands on our healthcare system, it can have high physical and mental costs for the caregiver. Caregiving's impact goes beyond funding to include physical strain, emotional stress, and sacrifices in work and personal activities. The physical demands of caregiving may include lifting and turning, bedding changes, bathing, and assistance moving the care recipient from their bed to a chair.
Caregivers also report more overall health problems (e.g., arthritis, insomnia, diabetes, obesity, weight gain). The emotional demands are high, placing caregivers at risk for depression, stress, exhaustion, or fatigue. Caregiver stress is often brought on by the disruption of life and lifestyle, feelings of greater responsibility for another person, as well as guilt and frustration associated with unmet expectations.
Caregivers experience pressures from decision-making and role conflict, and tend to become more isolated from family and friends. Almost 55 percent of caregivers reported less time for family members, and sacrificed vacations, leisure time, or hobbies.
Updated: November 2, 2007
