"Caregiving in the U.S."
Gail Gibson Hunt, Elinor Ginzler and Linda Barrett, Ph.D.
The National Alliance for Caregiving and the AARP, May 2004.
According to this study by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the AARP, there are 44.4 million people providing unpaid care to an adult age 18 or older in the United States. The study is based on a national survey of 6,139 people, out of which 1,247 caregivers were identified. The majority of these caregivers, 59 percent, either works or had worked while providing care. Sixty-two percent of the respondents said that providing care impacted their work lives, from reporting late to having to leave the workforce altogether. Many of the respondents reported unmet needs: 35 percent said they had trouble finding time for themselves, 29 percent found it difficult to manage emotional and physical stress, and another 29 percent struggled with balancing work and family responsibilities. The report finds a direct correlation between the amounts of emotional stress, physical strain or financial hardship faced by the caregiver and the level of burden he or she faces. Other predictors include whether or not the caregiver had a choice in taking on the role of care provider and his/her health status prior to taking on caregiving responsibilities.
