Being in the “caregiving” profession, I was interesting in finding out more about who are informally caregivers and the commonality among them.
Typical “caregiving” professions that come to mind are those related to direct service such as doctors, nurses, social workers, etc. Informal caregivers are defined as anyone caring for someone who is in need of help. They are unpaid and are usually family members, friends or neighbors.
There are 1.8 million households caring for someone aged 50 or older (Scharlach, et al, 2003). In California 77% of caregivers are women, 37% are daughters and 25% are wives of the person needing care.
