Living Well 60+ September-October 2014

SEPT/OCT 2 0 1 4
A Snapshot of
Caregiving Today
Who are the caregivers?
Who are the care receivers?
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by Lisa M. Petsche, Staff Writer
In approximately 30 percent of
American households, unpaid care
is regularly provided to someone
who is chronically ill, disabled or
aged and whose ability to carry out
activities of everyday life is compromised.
It’s not necessary to live under the
same roof as the person one is helping
or to provide assistance with
personal or medical care in order to
be considered a caregiver.
Here is some information about
the nature of caregiving today.
• Who are the caregivers?
The typical caregiver is an adult
child providing help to a parent or
parent-in-law. But a caregiver may
also be a friend or neighbor, grandchild,
sibling or other extended
family member, spouse or parent.
The majority of caregivers are
female and married. A significant
proportion are young seniors caring
for older seniors, and they may have
health issues of their own. Most often,
though, caregivers are in the 45-
65 age group. Those at the younger
end are likely to have children still at
home and consequently have been
labeled “the sandwich generation.”
Close to two-thirds of family caregivers
are employed. They juggle
caregiving with paid work and other
responsibilities such as maintaining
their own households and attending
to other family members. It’s no
surprise self-care is a low priority for
caregivers, given the demands on
their time.
Who are the care
receivers?
The typical care recipient is
female, over 70, widowed and living
alone. The older the care receiver,
the more likely she is to require personal
care; 50 percent of those over
age 85 years fall into this category.
The 85-plus age group is, of course,
a rapidly growing demographic.
The most common types of
health conditions associated with
care needs are age-related – for
example, osteoporosis, arthritis and
vision loss. Other common medical
diagnoses of care receivers are
cancer, heart disease, neurological
disease (such as Parkinson’s disease),
dementia and mental illness
(such as depression).
What do caregivers
do?
Caregiving tasks fall into two
categories: basic activities of daily
living (known as ADLs) and instrumental
activities of daily living
(IADLs). ADLs are daily self-care
tasks such as feeding, toileting,
dressing, grooming, bathing and
mobilizing. Fewer than 25 percent
of caregiving situations involve helping
with these needs.
Typically, care receivers need help
with IADLs before they require help
with ADLs. IADLs are the more
complex skills involved in living
independently – skills normally
learned during adolescence and
early adulthood. They include using
the telephone, way finding, managing
transportation (whether it’s
driving or using public transportation),
handling finances, shopping,
preparing meals, managing medications
and performing housework
and basic indoor and outdoor home
maintenance.
To help ensure informal caregiving
is sustainable and remains a
rewarding experience over time,
it’s important for care providers to
use available help. This includes
obtaining assistance from family
members and friends as well as
taking advantage of community
services that can help maximize the
care receiver’s functioning and assist
the caregiver with necessary tasks.
Doing so improves the quality of life
of not only the caregiver but also the
care receiver.
Note: Statistics were obtained
from the National Alliance for
Caregiving, the Family Caregiver
Alliance and the Caregiver Action
Network.
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