Many adults are juggling part-time caregiving and full-time job requirements, according to a new study.
“Caregivers need help and information to continue to keep all the balls in the air and assure that they don't end up paying further with their own retirement security," said Elinor Ginzler, the AARP's senior vice president for livable communities.
The AARP's report, "Caregiving in the U.S. 2009" reveals that 29 percent of the U.S. adult population, or 65.7 million people, are caregivers, including 31 percent of all households. These caregivers provide an average of 20 hours of care per week.
Among the findings:
- 66 percent are female, and the average caregiver is 48 years old.
- 86 percent care for a relative, most often a parent (36 percent).
- Seven in 10 caregivers care for someone over age 50.
- 14 percent of caregivers provide care, over and above regular parenting, to a child with special needs.
- Caregiving lasts an average of 4.6 years.
"More and more people who are 65-plus are providing care to both children and adults," said Gail Hunt, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving. "The shift to an older population of caregivers points to a real need for assistance for these individuals from family, friends, employers and social service programs."
The study also shows that both caregivers of adults and their care recipients are older than their counterparts were five years ago. Among caregivers of adults (ages 18 or older), the average age of the caregiver rose from 46 to 49, while the average care recipient's age increased from 67 to 69, mainly because of an increase in the percentage of those age 75 or older (from 43 percent to 51 percent).
Those needing caregiving are affected by old age (12 percent), Alzheimer's disease (10 percent), mental/emotional illness (7 percent), cancer (7 percent), heart disease (5 percent) and stroke (5 percent). Caregiving for children is related to ADD/ADHD, autism, mental/emotional illness and developmental delay/mental retardation.
Caregivers are also receiving more help than they were five years ago, and 17 percent report that caregiving has had a negative impact on their health.
"Those surveyed suggested potential solutions for these challenges, including greater access to information resources, emergency response devices, transportation assistance and respite services for caregivers," said Dennis White, president and CEO of the MetLife Foundation.
The study, which was funded by MetLife Foundation and conducted for the National Alliance for Caregiving in collaboration with AARP by Mathew Greenwald & Associates, interviewed 1,480 caregivers It was designed to replicate similar studies conducted in 2004 and 1997 and includes, for the first time, a sampling of those caring for children.