November is National Caregivers Month.

 

National Caregivers Month is a time to acknowledge the important role

that family, friends and neighbors play in caring for sick, elderly and

disabled friends and family.

 

According to the Family Caregiver Alliance, a caregiver refers to “anyone

who provides assistance to someone else who is, in some degree,

incapacitated and needs help.  Some examples include: a husband who

has suffered a stroke, a wife with Parkinson’s disease, a mother-in-law

with cancer, or a grandfather with Alzheimer’s disease. Caregivers offer

a range of services, including emotional and spiritual support, assistance

with financial matters, transportation and home- and health-related services.

 

Family caregivers provide an estimated $450 billion worth of uncompensated

care to loved ones annually. In addition, according to the Family Caregiver

Alliance, unpaid family caregivers will likely continue to be the largest source

of long-term care services in the U.S. Given the statistics on the increase of

the older population and rates of illness among older adults, a high number

of people in the U.S. will likely take on caregiver responsibilities and

experience a range of repercussions related to the time, activities and

money that they must allot to caregiving.

 

Who are Caregivers in the U.S.? Caregiver Statistics

The following statistics offer more information on caregivers and reveal trends regarding the characteristics of caregivers in the U.S.

• 65.7 million caregivers make up 29 percent of the U.S. adult population providing care to someone who is ill, disabled or aged.

• More women than men are caregivers. Approximately 66 percent are female.                                                                                                    One-third (34%) takes care of two or more people.

• While caregivers can be different ages, the average age of caregivers is 48 years; about 51 percent                                                                  of caregivers are between the ages of 18 and 49.

• Many caregivers of older people are themselves older adults. Of those caring for a person age 65 plus,                                                           the average age of caregivers is 63 years with one-third of these caregivers in fair to poor health.

 

 

What can you do to recognize caregivers during National Caregivers Month? 

Here are a few ideas about what you can do to celebrate caregivers during

November and throughout the year:

• Recognize caregivers in your community, in your organization and in your family. 

• Host a get-together to honor caregivers in your family and/or community.

• Attend local town hall meetings and ask your representative what s/he is going                                                                                                    to do to promote legislation that will help businesses develop more family-                                                                                                  friendly caregiver policies.

• Send an e-card to a caregiver. AoA offers free e-cards for caregivers.

• Post on Facebook that November is National Caregivers Month and encourage                                                                                               your network to acknowledge caregivers in their families and communities.

 

 

America depends on caregivers.

Let’s show our support and appreciation for their good work and achievements.