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Advocacy director: Eldercare can be ‘very much a full-time job’
Jun. 6, 2015 7:30 am
While the typical family caregiver is a 49-year-old woman who takes care of a relative, caregivers are becoming as diverse as the American population.
That's according to a new report released Thursday by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP.
'They come from every age, gender, socioeconomic and racial/ethnic group,” the report said. 'They share positive aspects of caregiving. They also share many struggles but can face different challenges depending on their circumstances.”
AARP has increased its focus on caregiving over the past few years, said Anthony Carroll, associate state director for advocacy for AARP Iowa. 'We've turned our attention to this, to get the public and leaders to pay more attention to what the modern family is and what long-term care plans look like,” he said in a telephone interview. 'There are challenges and solutions needed.”
The report, based on online interviews with more than 1,200 adults 18 years and older, found that caregivers span the age spectrum - nearly a quarter are millennials between 18 and 34 acting as caregivers, while 19 percent of caregivers are over 65.
And while men have been less likely to assume caregiving responsibilities in the past, they now represent 40 percent of family caregivers.
On average, caregivers spend 24.4 hours a week providing care to their loved ones. But 23 percent of caregivers said they provide at least 41 hours of care a week.
It is particularly time intensive for those who tend to a spouse or partner, who on average spend 44.6 hours a week.
'This is very much a full-time job,” Carroll said.
Survey respondents said their caregiving responsibilities make balancing work difficult.
The report determined six in 10 caregivers were employed at some stage in the past year while caregiving.
In addition, six in 10 caregivers report having to make a workplace accommodation as a result of caregiving, such as cutting back on their working hours, taking a leave of absence or receiving a warning about performance.
'This is a high emotional strain and a financial strain. It creates workplace and home challenges,” Carroll said.
The report found that not even half - 48 percent - reported that their health is excellent or very good.
Meanwhile, 17 percent said their health was in fair or poor condition, compared with 10 percent of the general adult population who described their health in similar terms.
The report also found that the longer a caregiver has been providing care, the more likely she or he is to report fair or poor health. Chronic or long-term conditions among care recipients are more likely to cause emotional stress for caregivers, the report found - with 53 percent of those caring for someone with a mental health issue, 50 percent of those caring for someone with Alzheimer's or dementia, and 45 percent of those caring for someone with a long-term physical condition reporting feeling emotional stress.