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Did you know?
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About 44.4 million persons in the U.S. are family caregivers
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46 is the average age of a family caregiver
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61% of family caregivers are women
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4.3 is the average length of time (in years) that family caregivers provide care
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59% of family caregivers are employed
SOURCE: Caregiving in The U.S., National Alliance for Caregiving & AARP, Funded by the MetLife Foundation and the Mature Market Institute®
Approximately 22.9 million households provide unpaid care to an adult family member or friend who is age 18 and older.
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On average, family caregivers provide 21 hours of care per week. This “free” care, however, is not without cost; many family caregivers feel isolated, stressed by balancing work, family, and caregiving, and perhaps even depressed.
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The value of family caregiving to society has been estimated to be $306 billion annually.
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Nearly 60% of those caring for an adult over age 50 are working, the majority of them full time.
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In the past, responsibilities for caregiving almost exclusively belonged to women, but currently about 39% of caregivers are men.
SOURCE: Study by the Mature Market Institute® and National Alliance for Caregiving in cooperation with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging
In one important study done by the Mature Market Institute, those surveyed said they made at least one formal adjustment to their work schedule as a result of caring for a partner or other family member:
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16% quit their job
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20% cut back to part-time
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22% took a leave of absence
Respondents also stated that caregiving affected their ability to advance on the job:
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29% passed up a promotion, training or assignment
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25% passed up an opportunity for job transfer or
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Job relocation 22% were unable to acquire new job skills
SOURCE: Findings from a National Study by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the National Center on Women and Aging at Brandeis University; Findings collected and issued by Mature Market Institute® called “MetLife Juggling Act Study: Balancing caregiving with work and the costs involved” – 1999
Nearly six in ten caregivers (59%) say they have worked at some time while they were actively providing care. Of these, six in ten (62%) say they had to make some work-related adjustments in order to help the person they care for.
More than half (57%) of working caregivers say that as a result of their caregiving responsibilities they have had to go in (to work) late, leave early, or take time off during the day to provide care.
SOURCE — Caregiving in The U.S., National Alliance for Caregiving & AARP, April 2004 Funded by the MetLife Foundation and the Mature Market Institute®
