Family Caregiving: The Statistics

When family caregivers get overwhelmed and feel like they aren’t doing enough or that they don’t want to do it anymore, it’s nice to not feel alone. Some of these statistics help by working as a coping mechanism. In addition to the personal feelings, there is also a monetary component that plays into this as well. In this case, knowledge is power and these numbers may make you feel a little more powerful when you need that mental boost in the midst of your busy day as a caregiver.

The people:

• About 42 percent of U.S. workers have provided eldercare in the past five years, and nearly one in five (17%) is estimated to be currently providing care and assistance for older relatives or friends. Just under half (49%) of the workforce expects to be providing elder care for a family member or friend in the coming five years.

• More than 34 million unpaid caregivers provide care to someone age 18 and older who is ill or has a disability.

• An estimated 21% of households in the United States are impacted by caregiving responsibilities.

• Unpaid caregivers provide an estimated 90% of the long-term care.

• The majority (83%) are family caregivers—unpaid persons such as family members, friends, and neighbors of all ages who are providing care for a relative.

• The typical caregiver is a 46-year-old woman with some college experience and provides more than 20 hours of care each week to her mother.

• Caregivers report having difficulty finding time for one’s self (35%), managing emotional and physical stress (29%), and balancing work and family responsibilities (29%).

• About 73% of surveyed caregivers said praying helps them cope with caregiving stress, 61% said that they talk with or seek advice from friends or relatives, and 44% read about caregiving in books or other materials.

• About 30% said they need help keeping the person they care for safe and 27% would like to find easy activities to do with the person they care for.

• Half (53%) of caregivers who said their health had gotten worse due to caregiving also said the decline in their health has affected their ability to provide care.

• Caregivers said they do not go to the doctor because they put their family’s needs first (67% said that is a major reason), or they put the care recipient’s needs over their own (57%). More than half (51%) said they do not have time to take care of themselves and almost half (49%) said they are too tired to do so.

• More than two out of three (69 percent) family caregivers responding to an online survey said that caring for a loved one was their number one source of stress, ahead of the economic downturn and other family health problems.

The money:

• In 2009, about 42.1 million family caregivers in the United States provided care to an adult with limitations in daily activities at any given point in time, and about 61.6 million provided care at some time during the year. The estimated economic value of their unpaid contributions was approximately $450 billion in 2009, up from an estimated $375 billion in 2007.

• The out-of-pocket costs for caregivers who are caring for someone who was age 50 or older averaged $5,531 in 2007. About 37% of caregivers for someone age 50 and older reduced their work hours or quit their job in 2007.

• In one survey, more than one in three (36 percent) caregivers reported that government agencies and nonprofit organizations are now less able to provide services to their relative or friend because of budget cuts.

• It has been estimated that U.S. businesses lose up to $33.6 billion per year in lost productivity from full-time caregiving employees.

It is possible to take some much-needed time for yourself while meeting the needs of your senior parent through SYNERGY HomeCare. Click here to learn about our respite services.