Did you know?

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• About 44.4 million persons in the U.S. are family caregivers

• 46 is the average age of a family caregiver

• 61% of family caregivers are women

• 4.3 is the average length of time (in years) that family caregivers provide care

• 59% of family caregivers are employed

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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.

 

• 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

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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:

 

• 16% quit their job

• 20% cut back to part-time

• 22% took a leave of absence

 

Respondents also stated that caregiving affected their ability to advance on the job:
 

• 29% passed up a promotion, training or assignment

• 25% passed up an opportunity for job transfer or

• 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

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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.

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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.

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SOURCE — Caregiving in The U.S., National Alliance for Caregiving & AARP, April 2004 Funded by the MetLife Foundation and the Mature Market Institute®

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