Caregiving is a vast responsibility that a growing proportion of the population is faced with. A new survey conducted by the Pew Research Center reveals that almost four in 10 or 39 percent of U.S. adults are caring for an adult or child with significant health issues, compared to a 30 percent of adults in 2010.
Data shows that unpaid family caregivers will likely continue to be the largest source of long-term care services in the United States, and the aging population of those aged 65-years-old and older will more than double between the years 2000 and 2030, increasing to 71.5 million from 35.1 million in 2000.
With regards to specific demographics, 14 percent of family caregivers care for a special needs child with an estimated 16.8 million caring for special needs children under 18 years old. About 55 percent of these caregivers are caring for their own children, according to a report from the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP.
The Takeaway analyzed statistics from AARP, the National Alliance for Caregiving and the Family Caregiving Alliance, which show:
65 million Americans or 29 percent of population care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend during any given year, spending an average of 20 hours per week providing care.
51 percent of care recipients live in their own home, 29 percent live with their family caregiver, and 4 percent live in nursing homes and assisted living.
40 to 70 percent of family caregivers have clinically significant symptoms of depression. Approximately a quarter to half of these caregivers meet the diagnostic criteria for major depression.
More women than men are caregivers: An estimated 66 percent of caregivers are female, 34 percent take care of two or more people, and the average age of a female caregiver is 48-years-old.
73 percent of family caregivers who care for someone over the age of 18 either work or have worked while providing care. 66 percent have had to make some adjustments to their work life, from reporting late to work to giving up work entirely. 1 in 5 family caregivers have had to take a leave of absence.
The value of the services family caregivers provide for “free” when caring for older adults is estimated to be $375 billion a year. That is almost twice the amount that is actually spent on home care and nursing home services, which is estimated to be a combined $158 billion.
Women who are family caregivers are 2.5 times more likely than non-caregivers to live in poverty and five times more likely to receive Supplemental Security Income.
47 percent of working caregivers indicate an increase in caregiving expenses has caused them to use up all or most of their savings.
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