Children as Caregivers, the Burdens Placed on Kids with Chronically Ill Parents

This in-depth piece by Washington Post reporter Michael Alison Chandler looks at the role more and more children are playing as caregivers for their chronically ill parents. Chandles sites a 2005 survey by the United Hospital Fund and the National Alliance for Caregiving that shows as many as 1.4 million children in the United States from age 8 to 18 care for a chronically ill or disabled relative. The burden of caring for ill parents is having a huge effect on these children, and there are few public services to offer needed assistance.

Published August 25, 2007