Caregiving and Loss: Family Needs, Professional Responses
HFA's Year 2001 Initiative - read the news release
FACT SHEET ON FAMILY CAREGIVING
Family caregivers are the immediate family, relatives by blood, marriage, or adoption, partners, or close friends who provide directly or manage the care of people who need medical and non-medical assistance, emotional support, and advocacy because they are ill or disabled. Caregivers are sometimes referred to as personal care assistants or attendants.
Most caregivers are female (73 percent) and their average age is 46 (NAC/AARP, 1997).
Typically caregivers are married (66 percent), have at least a high-school education, and are likely to be raising children under the age of 18 (NAC/AARP, 1997).
Estimates suggest that the value of family caregivers to the health care system is about $196 billion each year, compared to $32 billion per year spent for paid home care and $83 billion per year for nursing home care (Arno et. al., 1999).
More than one-third of caregivers provide assistance with activities of daily living for people ages 64 and under (Feinberg, 1995).
It is estimated that 22 million American households include an individual aged 50 or older who receives some level of at‑home care (GlaxoWellcome, 1997).
In one in four American households, someone is caring for a relative age 50 or older. (NAC/AARP, 1997).
In 1990, an estimated 83% of those with chronic conditions under age 65 relied on family caregivers; for those 65 and older it was 73% (Institute for Health and Aging 1996).
The number of those needing care is expected to grow from 41 million in 1995 to 72 million by 2050 (Institute for Health and Aging,1996).
Approximately 14.4 million full- and part-time employed caregivers are now balancing work with their caregiving (and, frequently, child care) responsibilities (NAC/AARP, 1997).
The aggregate costs of caregiving in lost productivity to U.S. businesses exceed $11.4 billion (MetLife, 1997).
Close to two in three caregivers are working, 52 percent full-time and 12 percent part-time (NAC/AARP, 1997).
Nearly half (47 percent) of employed caregivers spend more than 40 hours per week on caregiving activities (NFCA/FORTIS, 1998).
Cultural differences exist in family caregiving situations. Studies have shown that Asian and Hispanic caregivers are more likely than their white counterparts to be responsible for the care of more than one person. In addition, the prevalence of family caregiving is higher among Asian and African American households than Caucasian households. Moreover, Asian and Hispanic caregivers tends to be significantly younger than Caucasian caregivers (NAC/AARP, 1997).
* Compiled by National Health Council, Washington, DC, October 2000.
© 2001 Hospice Foundation of America
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