The Majority of Family Caregivers
of the Elderly Are Women
by Carol B. Garrett
Last year President Clinton
issued a formal proclamation designating
the week of Thanksgiving as National Family
Caregivers Week. The purpose of this yearly
event is to honor and support the daily
contributions of family caregivers throughout
the U.S. Seventy-five percent of these
caregivers of the nation’s elderly are
women. The majority of these women are
wives, daughters or daughters-in-law of
the care-receivers. One- half of the caregivers
work outside the home, and one-quarter
of them have children still living at
home who also require care.
A mistaken assumption made
by many people is that those elderly needing
care are residing in nursing homes or
other long-term care (LTC) institutions.
While there are approximately two million
Americans living in LTCs, there are more
than 10 million people of all ages needing
some assistance with daily living activities
who remain in their own homes or in other
community based (HCBC) settings. Examples
of such HCBC residences would be the home
of a relative or a friend, or a group
home. The informal caregiving network
that meets the needs of these elderly
numbers well over 22 million people.
If you are in your late
40’s or older, a quick survey of your
own situation or that of your peers will
personalize these statistics for you.
Over the last seven years while raising
my children and working, I have been responsible
for the care of my mother- and father-in-law,
and that of my mother. In the past few
months one of my friends placed not only
her mother, but also her mother-in-law
and her husband’s aunt in an assisted
living environment. This friend works
full-time and still has two children living
at home. Another acquaintance cared for
her mother-in-law in her home for several
years before the mother-in-law’s death.
Now, she is supervising her mother’s care
from a distance and is the person responsible
for overseeing the care of her deceased
mother-in-law’s childhood friend. These
are not unusual examples. And, as those
of us who have placed our care recipients
in facilities outside our home are well
aware, caregiving does not stop once our
elderly relatives are placed in an assisted
living or long-term care environment.
The care provided by this
network of family and friends is called
informal caregiving. Informal caregiving
is defined as unpaid care that is provided
to a person aged 65 or older who requires
assistance with daily living activities.
These activities can fall into one of
four broad categories. The categories
are: emotional support, direct service
assistance, liaison with the formal service
sector, and financial assistance.
While the need for assistance
can happen as the result of a sudden and
catastrophic occurrence, such as a major
stroke or heart-attack, caregivers often
find that they begin with small steps
and can eventually find themselves overwhelmed
with responsibilities. These initial small
steps are usually in the direct services
assistance category. Frequently it starts
with yard-work, then heavy house cleaning,
shopping and assistance in getting to
doctor’s appointments. Financial assistance
includes not only the direct payment of
money to help with expenses, but also
the paper work that concerns household
finances - paying bills, balancing the
check book, filing medical insurance papers,
etc. Soon the caregiver finds that several
to many hours per week are being spent
caring for the care-receiver.
Studies by the Family Care
Research Project in the Michigan State
University Colleges of Human Medicine
and Nursing have shown that the multiple
demands of work outside of home and caring
for an elder family member results in
many women leaving the work force or taking
extended unpaid leaves of absence in order
to care for their relative. Quitting their
jobs creates serious consequences for
these caregiving women. The surveys showed
that they not only harm their careers,
they are also less physically and emotionally
healthy, and they weaken their chances
for a secure financial position in the
future. By leaving the work force, they
cut their chances for higher Social Security
and private pension benefits in their
own later years of life.
In order to protect themselves
both financially and emotionally, caregivers
need to tap other resources, both informal
and formal. Primary caregivers must require
other family members to provide them with
some type of respite care on a regular
basis. Where family members are not available,
community assistance can often be obtained
through the formal caregiving sector.
The best way to tap this sector is by
contacting the local Area Agency on Aging.
If this agency cannot be found in the
blue-pages of the phone book it can be
located by calling the Eldercare Locator
(800) 677-1116, Monday through Friday,
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Eastern Standard
Time. The caller should have the address,
zip code and county of residence for the
person needing assistance in front of
them when placing the call.
Caregivers with access
to the internet can find much useful information
at the following sites:
Excerpted from WOMANSWORD, Vol. 2,
Issue 11, November 1997 Issue.
