I came across an interesting study of caregiving in the United States.
There are 43.5 million caregivers age 18 or over!
19% of all adults give unpaid care to an adult 50 years or older.
The average caregiver is 50 years old, and this is 2 years older than 5 years ago. The average care recipient is 77.
The average caregiver gives care for 4 years. 67% give care less than 5 years. 29% give care more than 5 years.
Caregivers report increased needs for information about:
1. Keeping the care recipient safe at home.
2. Finding easy activities to do with the care recipient.
3. Choosing a home care agency, assisted living facility, or nursing home.
43% of caregivers say they didn’t feel they had any choice in taking on this role.
15% of caregivers said the problem requiring caregiving was “old age”. Another 15% of caregivers said the problem was Alzheimer’s/confusion.
The average caregiver gave 19 hours per week of care in 2009. This number increased to 43 hours a week if the care recipient lived with them.
Of all caregivers 50+ years of age, 54% said they were advocates for the care recipient with care providers and government agencies. 23% performed physical or medical therapies or treatments on care recipients.
16% of caregivers report their own health was fair or poor. 16% of caregivers said caregiving made their own health worse.
Go here to read the complete report.
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Max Wallack is a student at Boston University Academy. His great grandmother, Gertrude Finkelstein, suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Max is the founder of PUZZLES TO REMEMBER , a 501(c.)3 charitable organization. PUZZLES TO REMEMBER is a project that provides puzzles to nursing homes and other institutions that care for Alzheimer's and dementia patients.Original content Max Wallack, the Alzheimer's Reading Room
