Family caregivers provide a wide variety of services to care recipients: administering medications and physical therapy, assisting with daily tasks, meeting with healthcare providers, coordinating treatment regimens and schedules, helping with financial and administrative aspects of medical care, health insurance and more. They can also provide emotional support for coping with disease.

A recent study says that 26.5% of all American adults today are family caregivers.

Family caregivers are typically female baby boomers whose needs for information, resources, advice and emotional support can be as great as—or even greater than—the needs of their care recipients.

The value of the voluntary, "unpaid" caregiving service provided by caregivers was estimated at $310 billion in 2006 — almost twice as much as was actually spent on home care and nursing services combined. It's more than the US government spent on Medicaid, and greater than the Federal budget deficit.

The family caregiver experience

According to a November, 2007 survey on family caregiving, most family caregivers feel more positive about their experiences than they did just before they took on the responsibility, with significant differences in expectation prior to becoming a caregiver and the actual experience.

The survey also found that caregivers are often burdened by high out-of-pocket costs in caring for a spouse or parent, but:

• Sixty percent of the caregivers called the experience "very or extremely rewarding," a 50% jump over the number of caregivers who thought in advance they would find the experience "very or extremely rewarding." Nearly 80% (78.8%) percent of the caregivers found the experience to be at least "rewarding," an increase of more than one-third from initial expectation.

• A majority of the caregivers-nearly 54%-formed a stronger bond with the patient during the time they were together.

• Almost 60% of the respondents reported an improvement in the quality of their relationship with the person for whom they cared. By contrast, fewer than 10% said that their relationship got worse during the time they were caregivers.

• Social activities of the caregiver tend to diminish. However, the diminished social activities are replaced with an increased quality of relationship with the care recipient.

• More than 2/3 of all caregivers (68.7%) said they enjoy the tasks associated with caregiving. However, prior to assuming the role, fewer than half (45.5%) thought they would enjoy caregiving.

• The amount of satisfaction with caregiving is directly related to the type of disease from which the care recipient suffers. Caregivers of depression sufferers, cancer and cardiac disease have more difficulty than those caring for patients who suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis.

• More than ¾ of caregivers are female. Nearly ¾ range in age from 35 to 59.

Other information about US caregivers:

• More than 50 million people provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend during any given year.

• 1.4 million children ages 8 to 18 provide care for an adult relative; 72% are caring for a parent or grandparent. Fortunately, most are not the sole caregiver.

• 30% of family caregivers caring for seniors are themselves aged 65 or over; another 15% are between the ages of 45 to 54.

National and international organizations

• National Alliance for Caregiving (U.S.)
• National Alliance for Caregiving
• International Alliance of Carers Organizations
• Canadian Caregiver Coalition
• Carers Australia
• Carers UK
• Family Caregiver Alliance (U.S.)
• Well Spouse Association
• LOT(Dutch Carers Association)
• The Princess Royal Trust for Carers (UK)
• Socialstyrelsen: The National Board of Health and Welfare (Sweden)
• Carers Ireland
• Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving

External links

• Memory enhancement that works for Alzheimer's
• Alzheimer's News & Notes for Caregivers