Trying to create the best possible quality of life for an aging relative is "the new normal" for 43.5 million Americans caring for someone older than 50, `according to the Family Caregiver Alliance.
Since the publication of that article, and current/post-COVID-2019, Americans are muddling througfh what will become a "newer normal"., however that shapes up...
Caregiving responsibilities vary with each family. It could mean driving an aunt to physician appointments, managing medication for a spouse or keeping tabs on mom from afar using the latest technology.
According to the AARP "Caregiver in the U.S.2015" Study -
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43.5 million U.S. adults provided unpaid care in the prior 12 months.
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18.2% of the respondents interviewed reported being caregivers
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Though the average caregiver is 49 years old, nearly 10% of caregivers are 75 or older (7%)
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They have been caregivers for 4 years on average, with a quarter having provided care for 5 years or more (24%).
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An average caregiver spends 24.4 hours a week providing care, with 23% providing 41 or more hours of care weekly.
There are numerous other evidencial factors investigated, but they all lead to an all too common result:
Half of caregivers feel their health is excellent or very good (48%), while 17 percent say it is fair or poor. By comparison, 10 percent of the general adult population describe their health as fair or poor. The longer a caregiver has been providing care, the more likely she or he is to report fair or poor health.
While retirements are being postponed in the modern day, caregivers may struggle to be effective employees, and may become early candidates for care themselves. The report is fairly detailed, but if one is planning (or not) for caregiving, the conclusions make help shape the seriousness fo finnacial planning well ahead of time to make the situation more managable.
Caregiving for loved ones the 'new normal' for boomers
Emanuella Grinberg, CNN
AARP Study link:
http://www.caregiving.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2015_CaregivingintheUS_Final-Report-June-4_WEB.pdf
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