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In 2000, 54
million people were involved in some level of care giving and
spent, on average, more than 20 hours per week in this capacity.4
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59% of the adult population either
are or expect to be family caregivers.4
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The number
of men participating in care continues to rise. In two out of five
cases men regularly participate in both activities of daily living
and nursing assistance
for older loved ones.4
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It is
becoming increasingly more common for caregivers to live with the
one they are caring for. Today, 37% of caregivers live with
the one they care for.4
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The number
of men participating in care giving has risen to 44%.4
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The average
American woman can expect to spend more years caring for her
parents than she did her children.4
Caring for
an older person with disabilities can be physically demanding,
particularly for older caregivers, who make up half of all
caregivers.4
An
estimated 21 million Americans provide care to a relative, friend or
neighbor who is 50 or older.5
The typical
caregiver of an older adult is around 46 years old.5
66% of
caregivers are female and 44% are male.6
Caregivers
of older adults spend an average of 20-40 hours per week providing
care.7
Men are
taking responsibility for the same everyday task as women, including
grocery shopping, managing medications and
transportation. Women are more involved in personal care such
as bathing, dressing, and toileting.8
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Most women
will spend 17 years caring for children and 18 years helping an
elderly parent.9
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The value of caregiver contributions has been estimated at $306 billion annually.
Caregivers
are family members who find themselves thrust into the role of providing
unpaid assistance to see that the physical, psychological and/or social
needs of an aging loved one are met.