COVID-19 Information - Click Here
Skip to Content
Homewatch CareGivers
LocationsIcon of Map Pin
  • Caregiver Jobs
  • Franchise Opportunities
  • Care Community Blog
  • Contact Us
close
  • Back
  • Home
  • About Home Care
    • Back
    • What is Home Care
    • Types of Care
    • Financing Options
    • Cost
    About Home Care Homewatch CareGivers® believes good care should not interfere with your quality of life. We deliver the compassionate care our clients need to help complete day-to-day activities while still maintaining a healthy dose of independence.
  • Types of Care
    • Back
    • Elder Care
    • 24-Hour Care
    • Child Care
    • Respite Care
    • Senior Transportation Services
    • Companion Care
    • Hospital Discharge
    • Chronic Conditions Care
    • Dementia Care
    • Nursing Services
    • After Surgery Care
    • Personal Care
    Types of Care Our clients have many different reasons for requiring care, so we strive to provide services tailored to their individual needs and circumstances. Homewatch CareGivers delivers various types of in-home care that focus on the whole person—not just their condition.
  • Resources
    • Back
    • ALS
    • Arthritis
    • Dementia
    • Developmental Disabilities
    • Diabetes
    • Heart Disease
    • Parkinson's Disease
    • Senior Safety
    • Stroke
    • For Health Care Providers
    • Ask The Experts
  • Our Story
    • Back
    • Team Bios
    • Facts & History
    • National Quality Forum
    • In the Media
    • Home Care Association of America
    Our Story Homewatch CareGivers was founded on the concept of person-directed care: focusing on the specific needs of the individual and treating each client as a whole person, not just a condition. We strive to provide in-home care services that allow people to continue living safely and happily in their own homes.
  • Why Choose Us?
    • Back
    • Our Caregivers
    • Questions to Ask
    • Homewatch CareGivers University
    • Client Testimonials
    • In-Home Senior Safety
    Why Choose Us? Let our family care for yours. At Homewatch CareGivers, we value not only highly qualified caregiving services but also human interactions and relationships. Our people make the difference.
LocationsIcon of Map Pin

"The Caregiving Cliff:" The Surprising Insight of Today's Caregiver

"The Caregiving Cliff:" The Surprising Insight of Today's Caregiver Jul 28, 2015
Blog Categories
  • COVID-19
  • A Business with a cause
  • Addressing Isolation & Loneliness
  • Age at home
  • Age in place
  • Aging at Home
  • Aging Parent
  • aging parents
  • animal therapy
  • Anxiety Support
  • Best Home Care
  • Care for Aging Parents
  • Care for My Aging Parent
  • Caregiver
  • Caregiver Assistance
  • Caregiver Stress
  • caregiving assistance
  • caring star
  • caring star award
  • caring.com
  • caring.com award
  • Coping and Caregiving
  • Coronavirus
  • Cost of Care
  • Dementia
  • dementia care
  • Elderly Parent Care
  • Employee Spotlight
  • Essential Caregiver Skills
  • Events
  • Falls Prevention
  • Family Caregiver
  • Financial Resources
  • Franchise
  • Franchising
  • handling caregiver stress
  • Health & Wellbeing
  • Holiday Celebration
  • Home Care
  • Home Watch Caregivers
  • Homewatch CareGivers
  • how to manage caregiver stress
  • In-Home Safety
  • Job Fair
  • Local
  • Long Term Care
  • Long Term Care Options
  • National Public Health Week
  • New Office in New Haven
  • older parents
  • parents aging
  • Parkinson’s Symptoms
  • Passion of Caregiving
  • Pet Therapy
  • Planning Ahead
  • Provider Choice Award
  • Senior Care & Aging
  • Senior Exercise
  • service dog
  • Social Distancing
  • stress
  • therapy dog
  • top rated home care agency
  • wandering

A new study by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP highlights profiles today’s family caregivers, what challenges them, and what’s ahead for them.

Caregiving in the U.S. 2015 is presented by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP after gathering data in late 2014 from over 1,200 caregivers who are age 18 and older. These caregivers make up two groups: those who provide “higher hour” care of 21 or more hours of care weekly, and “lower hour” for those who provide less than 21 hours of care each week.

The biggest number is 43.5 million. This is the estimated number of American adults who provided unpaid care to an adult or child in the prior 12 months. Those caring for an adult is at 39.8 million Americans, and those providing unpaid care to an adult who is age 50 or older in the prior 12 months is 34.2 million Americans.

“We’re facing a caregiving cliff,” said Dr. Susan Reinhard, senior vice president and director, AARP Public Policy Institute. “By mid-century, there will be only three family caregivers available for each person requiring care. That means, to avoid putting them at higher risk as the age, we need to provide support for existing caregivers who are underserved by the current long-term services and support system.”

Who Are You?

What the research found is that while the typical family caregiver is a 49-year old woman who is caring for a relative, there are growing subpopulations of caregivers who provide care differently or may have different needs for support.

Some notable aspects of the study include:

  • 40% of family caregivers are men (60% are women)
  • Nearly a quarter of today’s caregivers are millennials; people who are between the ages of 18 to 34
  • 82% of family caregivers live with or live within 20 minutes of the one person for which they provide care
  • 34% of family caregivers work full-time
  • 38% of family caregivers report that they experience high emotional stress as a result of the care they are providing
  • One in ten family caregivers provides care for a spouse
  • One in ten family caregivers is age 75 or older
  • The average caregiver of an adult has been providing care for four years
  • 48% of care recipients live in their own home
  • 59% of care recipients have a long-term physical condition
  • 26% of care recipients have a memory problem
  • 50% of family caregivers reported that they had no choice in taking on this role

The study includes details on work and caregiving, wellbeing and caregiving, types of care being provided, the burden of care and much more information about these family caregivers.

Are You Seeking Support?

Getting back to Ms. Reinhard’s point about the need for support for family caregivers, the study found some good and not-so-good news about the impact of caregiving and therefore the need for caregivers to care for themselves too.

Almost half of the family caregivers who participated in the study reported that their own health is “excellent” or “very good.” While only 17% of the polled caregivers stated that their own health is “fair” or “poor” that is higher than the general population (10% report their own health at “fair” or “poor”). Twenty-two percent of the caregivers said that their health had gotten worse since they took on caregiving responsibilities.

The amount of stress that a caregiver feels can depend on who they are caring for and the reason that the care is needed: 45% caring for a spouse and 44% caring for a parent reported emotional stress whereas 18% caring for a non-relative had emotional stress. As might be expected, caring for someone with a chronic or long-term illness led to emotional stress for half or more of the caregivers.

However, when it comes to getting support, the family caregivers have unmet needs. Only 16% reported a health care provider asking what they needed to care for themselves.

“Indeed, more than 8 out of 10 caregivers (84%) state that they could use more information or help on caregiving topics,” note the study authors. “Caregivers most commonly want information about keeping their loved one safe at home (42%) and about managing their own stress (42%).”

A mere 15% of family caregivers in this study said that they used respite service—such as hiring a professional caregiver for a few hours a week—to support themselves.

Supporting family caregivers is becoming a political issue and legislators and health care providers are looking at ways to help. This support may be in the form of medical professionals asking what the caregiver’s needs are or tax credits to offset the costs of care.

If you are among the millions who are providing care for a loved one, or you expect to be someday, now is the time to plan for this role with family discussions, financial planning, and research on long-term care options.

Posted By Homewatch CareGivers
  • Share
Blog Home - Previous Post | Next Post
More Posts Like This
  • It’s a Match! Caregiver-Client Relationships
    Feb 24, 2021

    It’s a Match! Caregiver-Client Relationships

    Caregiving is about more than just one person fulfilling a list of a tasks; it’s about human relationships and connection.

    Read More
  • Top Five Types of Home Care
    Feb 24, 2021

    Top Five Types of Home Care

    Home care is not just one thing, but instead an umbrella term under which there are many types of care for many different types of needs and people. Learn about elder care, respite care, personal care, dementia care, and after-surgery care.

    Read More
  • Developmental Disabilities and Home Care
    Feb 24, 2021

    Developmental Disabilities and Home Care

    People who are living with developmental disabilities often need a professional caregiver in addition to family member support.

    Read More
Homewatch CareGivers Caregiving Services
Find Your Location Homewatch CareGivers is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Help & Info
  • About Homecare
  • Types of Care
  • Financing Options & Programs
  • Our Resources
  • Owner Login
Our Company
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Caregiver Jobs
  • Blog
  • Franchise Opportunities
Other
  • National Homepage Homewatch CareGivers University Login Privacy Policy Site Map
  • Accessibility Notice
  • HIPAA Disclaimer
  • Do Not Sell My Information - California Residents
Follow Us On

Part of the Authority Brands Family

Authority Brands is the leading provider of in-home services, building brands that support the success of franchisees as well as better the lives of the homeowners we serve and the people we employ.
/
Copyright © 2021 | Homewatch CareGivers® is a trademark owned by Homewatch International, Inc.™ and licensed for use to independently-owned franchised businesses that offer caregiver services to the public. All personal services, elderly care, caregiving and home care services offered OR provided under the Homewatch CareGivers™ mark are offered and provided only by independently-owned franchises and, where required, licensed OR registered businesses and care agencies. Scorpion Franchise Internet Marketing
x

⚠

Your browser is out of date. To get the full experience of this website, please update to most recent version.

Update My Browser