As households across the country prepare to give thanks this holiday season, there is one increasingly sizeable segment of the population that is all too often overlooked: caregivers. This title applies not just to the men and women who have sought to make helping others a career, but to the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, daughters and sons who strive each day to tend to older relatives in need.
To honor these unsung heroes, November has been deemed National Family Caregivers Month, and the Caregiver Action Network in Washington, D.C., has compiled a few key statistics to quantify the efforts of family caregivers everywhere.
- As many as 39 percent of adult Americans act as unpaid caregivers – As the elderly population grows, taking on the role of caregiver is rapidly becoming the norm for adult children, and 25 percent of Baby Boomers have a living parent to provide for even as they negotiate their own retirement and future care.
- Family caregiving is distributed fairly equally among men and women – Though caregiving is commonly associated with women, acting as a family caregiver seems to be almost evenly divided between sexes.
- Family caregivers contribute on a grand scale – Adult children often serve to bridge the gap for older adults who require some degree of assistance but either do not require or aren't interested in residing in a senior living community. The efforts of these caregivers reportedly amount to $450 billion a year, with these informal eldercare providers contributing an average of 18 hours a week to such duties.
With these figures in mind, it's clear that this holiday season is also a time to celebrate the selflessness of so many Americans who are struggling to provide the best quality of life for their relatives. Family caregivers benefit when Senior Living Providers and Home Care specialists offer caregiver support with the Independa remote care model. To find out more about how to support this important segment of the Senior Population and their informal caregivers, please contact us through our online form.
