Caregivers, Dinosaurs and Other Important Statistics


Would you believe us if we told you that there is a connection between family caregivers and dinosaurs? It sounds crazy, but we think we are onto something here…

Consider this: In any given year, there are as many unpaid family caregivers in the United States as there are years between today and the extinction of dinosaurs. That’s 65 million caregivers, according to AARP, or 29% of the population.

OK, that’s about the only correlation we found. BUT, there are some other statistics that you should be aware of.

You probably don’t know 65 million people, but we are willing to bet you know more than a couple of people that are caring for a loved one in one way or another. Of those caregivers, staggering 66% are women. In fact, the same AARP “dinosaur” study shows that more often than not, it’s a 49-year-old daughter who is married and working is caring for her 69-year-old mother. Of course those are averages, and our experience with families backs that up very strongly.

Does that sound like anyone you know? Is this something you are dealing with? Let’s dig a little deeper.

Of those caregivers, 37% have children under the age of 18 living at home with them. Not only are they caring for mom, but they’ve got kids that are in school as well. If it’s not detention or dating, it’s mom falling or not taking her medication.

Talk about stress!

The Cost

In 2009, $158 billion (with a “B”) was spent on home care and nursing services combined. Big number, right?

That same year, an estimated $375 billion of “free” or unpaid care was provided by family caregivers. That is more than double what is actually spent on professional care. That number falls right between the GDP of Colombia and Iran!

There is enough uncompensated care being provided by family caregivers in the United States to produce what would be the 32nd largest economy in the world.

What Can Be Done?

Obviously, this is not a sustainable trend. There is no way that you can juggle kids, work, home and mom’s health without reaching an eventual breaking point. When that breaking point comes, it hits hard!

The most important thing you can do is prepare. Check out our article about preparing for mom to age. It is incredibly important that you plan for what we call “successful aging.” Don’t be caught off-guard and don’t make life more difficult than it has to be.

Part of your planning may include finding help through professional caregivers. Though this isn’t always an option, it never hurts to schedule a free care consultation. This is a great chance to sit down and see what support options are available and at what cost, if any.

When looking into home care, remember not to compare based on price. In fact, read our article about why that’s a bad idea here. Remember that each home care agency is different and offers different levels of training to their caregivers. Home care is only as good as the training they provide and the people they choose to hire. Very often, quality costs more, and when it comes to caring for your mother, cheaper is rarely better.

Support

Finally, surround yourself with people and support. Don’t take on the task of caring for mom by yourself. Keep a healthy social life and make sure you ask for help when it’s needed. Find caregiver support groups and communities. Aside from local groups that may meet at times you cannot be available, there are great online avenues as well.

Some great online sources for support are:

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Originally published at fresnoagingblog.com on November 17, 2014.