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.
The backgrounds of caregivers in the nation are diverse: 61% are White/Caucasian, 25% are Hispanic/Latino, 6% are Black/African American, 5% are Asian, and 3% are other ethnicities (Scharlach, 2003). In California 74% are White/Caucasian, 11% Hispanic/Latino, 9% Black/African Americans, 4% Asian caregivers, and 2% are other ethnicities (California Resource Center, 2005)
About half of California’s caregivers are employed outside of the home. 13% have reduced worked hours and 71% are working full time.
California caregivers as a whole (Scharlach et al., 2003) typically spend 14 hours a week caring for someone. Caregivers of persons who have severe memory problems or dementia spend significantly more time (an average of 53.7 hours per week) than do caregivers of people without these disorders (an average of 34.1 hours per week).
Family caregivers experiencing stress has been shown to age prematurely. It can take as much a 10 years off of a family caregiver’s life (Epel, 2004).
References:
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A Profile of Family Caregivers: Results of the California Statewide Survey of Caregivers (2003) by Andrew Scharlach, Barbara Sirotnik, Shel Bockman, Max Neiman, Christen Ruiz, Teresa Dal Santo.
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California Caregiver Resource Centers Aggregate System Data Report on Caregiver and Care Receiver Characteristics (2005). San Francisco, CA: Family Caregiver Alliance.
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Elissa S. Epel, Dept of Psychiatry, Univ of Calif, SF, et al, From the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dec 7, 2004, Vol 101, No. 49.
General Resources:
California Foundation for Independent Living Centers
