[Seniorresources] National Caregiver Profile and Need Assessment

[Sally Camp]

Study Develops National Caregiver Profile and Need Assessment

A collaborative study between the Rosalynn Carter Institute and the
University of Florida has investigated the existing services for
caregivers and gaps therein, along with analyzing the prevalence of
caregivers among populations targeted by age, race, or gender. Care
giving is an important issue for people with disabilities and the
elderly, and the growing numbers of these populations will demand an
increasing number of caregivers. Assessing the needs of caregivers and
providing them with necessary supports can greatly facilitate and
improve the care they provide to people with disabilities and the
elderly.

Informal care giving, mostly given by family and friends, plays a
significant role in enabling independent living, with 16.1% of the adult
U.S. population engaged in informal care. Nationally, women are more
likely to be caregivers than men, and the average caregiver age is 47.6
years. Typical caregivers tend to be married, have education beyond high
school, and are employed. Distribution of caregivers on the basis of
race and ethnicity varies significantly from state to state.

Another significant finding was that caregivers were 14% more likely to
rate their "Health Related Quality of Life" to be "poor" or "fair"
compared to noncaregivers. Caregivers need the most help in finding time
for themselves and need more help or information successfully to make
end-of-life decisions, manage stress, balance family and work, and
ensure care recipient safety. The research team put forth
recommendations to improve the services available for caregivers, such
as improving public health information, education, and communications,
and improving caregiver access to necessary and available services.

Full Study:

McKune, S.L., Andresen, E.M., Zhang, J., & Neugaard, B. (2006).
Caregiving: A National Profile and Assessment of Caregiver Services and
Needs (Rosalyn Carter Institute & University of Florida), available at 
http://www.rci.gsw.edu/pdfs/Caregiver_Report.pdf

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