ElderWeb

I found a wonderful blog created by a man who is caring for his middle-aged wife who has Multiple Sclerosis and their sixteen year old daughter. His blog illustrates that long term care issues are not limited to the "elderly". He cared for her at home for a long time, but has now had to place her in a facility, and he talks about the financial and emotional burdens of dealing with all of this, and helping his teenage daughter cope.

Some excerpts:

"March 15th (the Ides of March) will be the one year anniversary of the end of home care and the beginning of the care facility era ... Was the transition expensive? $28,965 is what we show on our tax statement for the year for '˜out of pocket'™ medical expenses beyond anything covered by medical insurance."

"At the risk of sounding like '˜Hints from Heloise'™, towels bars make great transitional pieces to grab bars. You can disguise the first appearance of grab bars by replacing your towel bars with grab bars. Repositioning may be necessary and make sure they are secured on studs. The bathroom may not look much different but has taken a big step toward accessible. Do it at your convenience, before necessary. I can testify that as an able bodied caregiver I personally have never met a grab bar I did not also learn to appreciate."

"Next to nothing is available to help with home caregiving, however on the other hand EVERYTHING is picked up once admitted to a care facility. There really is no middle ground and in a sense the passage to the care facility era is rewarded by the medical insurance industry. In a care facility with Medicare and private long term disability insurance plus Medicaid, Patti is receiving more medical attention, benefits, and therapy than ever before. I would be lying if I said I don't sometimes experience frustration when I see so many resources in use that I tried to get for homecare and was repeatedly turned down."

Read his blog at: http://journals.aol.com/daddyleer/CaregivinglyYours/

PRESS RELEASE First 50-State Study Of Caregiver Support Services Released In Recognition Of National Family Caregivers Month
New Web-Based Interactive Database Will Help Providers and Consumers, Locate Services

Family Caregiver Alliance, in collaboration with the National Conference of State Legislatures, has released The State of the States in Family Caregiver Support: A 50-State Study. The study'”a two-year project'”is the first to examine publicly funded caregiver support programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia since the passage of the landmark National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) in 2000.

Caregiving can exact physical, emotional and financial costs. Caregiver support services, such as education and skills training, counseling and respite care, can help families and friends cope with the strain of caregiving, work and other responsibilities.

According to study director Lynn Friss Feinberg, Deputy Director of the National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance, 'œThe report focuses attention on a growing issue that is an increasing reality of daily life for America'™s families: how to support and sustain those who are the cornerstone of our long-term care system'”the dedicated families and friends of older people and adults with disabilities. Our findings reveal progress: for the first time, every state now offers at least some caregiver support services funded by the NFCSP. Still, that support is inconsistent'”it varies from state to state, and it is affected by limited funding levels.'

The need to strengthen and sustain families in their caregiving role is a central issue in our aging society. As more long-term care is provided at home and in the community rather than through institutions, reliance on family and informal caregivers grows. The majority (78%) of adults in the U.S. who receive long-term care at home get all their care exclusively from unpaid family and friends.

Donna Folkemer, Program Director at the National Conference of State Legislatures said, 'œThis valuable study provides a comprehensive look at what states are able to offer to families. We are pleased that services are available to families in all the states and that states are involved in innovative activities to better respond to the needs of family caregivers.'

The report examines caregiver support provided through the Older Americans Act'™s National Family Caregiver Support Program, Aged/Disabled Medicaid waiver programs, and state-funded programs. It highlights key findings, offers state-by-state profiles, pinpoints challenges, identifies issues for the future, and expands recognition of family caregiver needs as distinct from the needs of care receivers.

Through the study, the authors hope to inform policy discussions among federal and state leaders in caregiving and long-term care throughout the nation, and advance the public debate about the explicit provision of family support within the context of long-term care systems development.

As a companion piece, a new, interactive, state-by-state online database has also been developed, to help families and health and service providers find services in their area.

Key Findings & Conclusions

This report provides new insights into the ways states provide caregiver support services and their approaches to family caregiving issues in the context of home and community-based services (HCBS). As such, it provides a starting point to further examine and track state approaches to caregiver support as well as changes over time. The research indicates:

There is both increasing availability of publicly funded caregiver support services, as well as great unevenness of services and service options for family caregivers across the states and within states. All states now provide some explicit caregiver support services as a result of the passage of the NFCSP in 2000. However, the availability of caregiver support services varies greatly across the U.S. due to differences in philosophy, program eligibility criteria, funding, and approaches to design and administration of services. This can result in inequities that limit caregiver choices and place more pressure on already strained caregiving families, compromising their abilities to care for their loved ones.

The NFCSP is emerging as a key program to enhance the scope of caregiver support services and is fueling innovation in the states, but is inadequately funded. Although more than one in three (36%) states began providing support to caregivers of older people for the first time as a result of the federal funds through the NFCSP, the modest level of NFCSP funding to the states ($138.7 million in 2003) leaves gaps in caregiver support services that vary substantially from state to state. When compared to Aged/Disabled Medicaid waiver funds spent on respite care alone, the NFCSP funding appears even more limited.

Most state programs report multiple sources of funding, with the majority of funding coming from four main sources: state general funds, NFCSP, Aged/Disabled Medicaid HCBS waivers, and client contributions. State program administrators use a range of definitions and data collection methods to track expenditures and caregiver service delivery.
Respite is the service strategy most commonly offered to caregivers and is available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, although the amount of respite to family members varies substantially from state to state and program to program within states.

While there is variation among states and programs within states in their approach to assessing the needs and situation of the family or informal caregiver, there is broad recognition of the value of uniformly assessing caregiver needs and the importance of training and technical assistance in this area. Systematic assessment of the caregiver'™s needs as distinct from, but related to, the needs of the older person or adult with disabilities, is central to systems change and to improving policy and practice in HCBS.

States have mixed views on approaches to systems development, the importance of caregiver support services within HCBS, and integrating family caregiving programs into HCBS. The top barriers to coordinating caregiver support programs with other HCBS programs in the states are differing eligibility requirements and service complexity and fragmentation.
State legislatures, recognizing family caregivers'™ role, are enacting laws to fund caregiver support services, expand family and medical leave, and include family caregiving in state long-term care efforts.
Study Methods

States approach the design of home and community-based programs, including those to support caregivers, in different ways. Some states view caregiver support as a component of programs that serve frail elders or adults with disabilities. Others see caregiver support as a separate program with distinct eligibility criteria: they seek to ensure the explicit recognition of family and informal caregivers as individuals with rights to their own services and supports. Despite the importance of state-administered programs in the everyday lives of families, relatively little was known about how these programs operate in the 50 states or the differences in their philosophy or structure.

To explore the issue, this two-year study used the survey method, with written surveys and telephone interviews, to profile federal and state caregiver support programs in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The authors obtained supplemental information from public documents, public agency and research databases, state websites and a literature review. They collected programmatic data from state program
administrators for fiscal year 2003 and collected or obtained fiscal and legislative data for fiscal years 2001-2003.

The research was designed to take a broad focus; it examined policy choices and approaches to caregiver support through state agencies responsible for the administration of the NFCSP, Aged/Disabled Medicaid HCBS waiver programs, and state-funded programs that have either a caregiver-specific focus or include a family caregiving component in their service package. A total of 148 out of 154 identified state programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, responded to the programmatic survey, representing a 96% response rate overall.

The authors of this comprehensive report are Lynn Friss Feinberg, Sandra L. Newman, Leslie Gray and Karen Kolb of the National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance; and Wendy Fox-Grage of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Funding was provided in part by a grant from the U.S. Administration on Aging.

The full report is available without charge on the Family Caregiver Alliance website at www.caregiver.org, along with the online database. The printed report is available for $60 from FCA Publication Orders, 180 Montgomery Street, Suite 180, San Francisco, CA 94104.

'”30'”

Founded in 1977, and long recognized as a pioneer among caregiver organizations, Family Caregiver Alliance serves as a public voice for caregivers, operating programs at local, state and national levels. In 2001, FCA established the National Center on Caregiving to advance the development of high quality, cost-effective polices and programs for caregivers in every state in the country. FCA is also the lead agency and model for California'™s statewide system of Caregiver Resource Centers. Website: www.caregiver.org .

The Forum for State Health Policy Leadership is a unit within the National Conference of State Legislatures whose mission is to provide objective information on critical and emerging issues and leadership development to legislators and staff. Established in 1995, the Forum carries out a variety of initiatives that serve targeted constituents within NCSL and respond to emerging issues and complex problems facing state legislatures. Website: www.ncsl.org .

Contact: Bonnie Lawrence
(415) 434-3388, ext. 312
blawrence@caregiver.org

Donna Folkemer, NCSL
(202) 624-8171
donna.folkemer@ncsl.org

A lot of elders are outliving their caregivers and outpacing their income. A growing group of seniors have no spouse, no siblings, and no children to provide care to them. What will happen to them and who will make decisions for them? Richard A. Sherer poses some important questions in the January/February 2004 issue of Geriatric Times.

PRESS RELEASE New report examines the effects of caregiving on finances and retirement planning SAN FRANCISCO--January 23, 2004--Nearly one quarter of American households provide care to relatives or friends age 50 or older. What is the fiscal toll on family caregivers who leave their jobs to provide that unpaid care? That question is addressed in a new policy brief released by the National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance. According to the report, while long-term caregiving can tax the finances of any family, since approximately 75 percent of caregivers are female, the economic effect is intensified for women. Women also provide "informal" (unpaid) care longer than men-in many cases, for more than five years. The effects will be enormous for women of the Baby Boom generation, who are now in the workforce more than any generation before, and who are well into the age range in which long-term caregiving--whether for a parent, spouse or another relative--is a likely occurrence. "All told," the report states, "lower lifetime wages, workforce segregation and a greater proclivity to move in and out of the workforce raising children and caring for ill or disabled family and friends, severely impact women's retirement income." The new policy brief explores: * The reduced Social Security benefits based on reduced earnings * The limited access to employer-sponsored pensions * The effect of moving from full- to part-time work, or taking leave * The reduction in personal savings. The report also offers specific recommendations to policy-makers to ameliorate those effects, including changes in Social Security, the Family and Medical Leave Act, pension law, and dependent care tax credits. "Caregiving and Retirement Planning: What Happens to Family Caregivers Who Leave the Workforce" was written by Laurie Young, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Older Women's League, and Sandra Newman, M.P.H., Policy Specialist at Family Caregiver Alliance's National Center on Caregiving. The brief is available free on the FCA website at http://www.caregiver.org. It is also available in print by sending $25.00 to Family Caregiver Alliance Publications, 690 Market St., Ste. 600, San Francisco, CA 94104. The report is part of a series of publications on caregiving produced by the National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance and funded by the Archstone Foundation. Family Caregiver Alliance, founded in 1977, operates programs at the national, state and local levels to sustain and support the important work of families providing care to loved ones affected by chronic, disabling health conditions. Offering information, education, consultation and support, FCA and the National Center on Caregiving work to advance the development of caregiver support programs in every state in the country. For more information, visit the award-winning website at http://www.caregiver.org, call FCA at (800) 445-8106, or email info@caregiver.org. For Immediate Release Contact: Bonnie Lawrence, (415) 434-3388, ext. 312 blawrence@caregiver.org

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) announced that they are committing $100 million to their "Faith in Action" program. makes grants to local groups of volunteers representing many faiths, who work together to care for their neighbors who are chronically ill, frail, elderly or disabled. Steven A. Schroeder, M.D. president and CEO of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced the new funding, and noted that this will help faith-based organizations respond to the opportunity.

He also announced a new report conducted by Harris Interactive and Johns Hopkins University for the Faith in Action program showing that more than three out of four adults, if asked, would be willing to become volunteer caregivers. More than 93% of those people would be equally or more willing to help if the request to volunteer came from a local house of worship. The study also showed that most of the general public and 45% of those with chronic conditions and their family caregivers are not aware that volunteer services are available to them.

The Associated Press reports that Taiwan's top economic planner, Chen Po-chih, chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, said that women with low-paying jobs should stay home to care for their husbands' elderly parents. The government toughened regulations last year to allow only families with severely disabled relatives to hire foreign maids or caretakers. Chen told lawmakers that women with low-paying jobs should stay home to care for their in-laws. He said that the regulations should not be relaxed to spare them that duty.

ABC News reports on a program used in China to help care for the elderly. Able-bodied older people help seniors who cannot care for themselves, and the time they spend doing so is put in a "Time Bank." When they need help themselves, they will be able to draw from that bank and get help from others. Families used to provide care for older relatives, but many young people leave home in search of work in other parts of the country, and China's national "one child" policy means that there are fewer younger family members available to provide care.

The National Family Caregiver Support Program has received funding. The funding by state is as follows:
National Family Caregiver Support Program Funding
FY 2001, By State

Alabama 1,739,242
Alaska 564,300
Arizona 1,956,318
Arkansas 1,125,177
California 11,359,851
Colorado 1,245,978
Connecticut 1,509,874
Delaware 564,300
District of Columbia 564,300
Florida 8,721,584
Georgia 2,305,333
Hawaii 564,300
Idaho 564,300
Illinois 4,732,281
Indiana 2,331,599
Iowa 1,391,731
Kansas 1,139,251
Kentucky 1,516,043
Louisiana 1,535,025
Maine 564,300
Maryland 1,843,229
Massachusetts 2,766,510
Michigan 3,848,418
Minnesota 1,875,522
Mississippi 1,031,878
Missouri 2,337,876
Montana 564,300
Nebraska 732,458
Nevada 603,803
New Hampshire 564,300
New Jersey 3,496,629
New Mexico 594,433
New York 7,612,334
North Carolina 2,916,628
North Dakota 564,300
Ohio 4,739,721
Oklahoma 1,388,901
Oregon 1,396,517
Pennsylvania 6,097,763
Rhode Island 564,300
South Carolina 1,421,896
South Dakota 564,300
Tennessee 2,083,754
Texas 6,147,379
Utah 573,563
Vermont 564,300
Virginia 2,354,500
Washington 2,083,944
West Virginia 854,259
Wisconsin 2,203,655
Wyoming 564,300
American Samoa 70,538
Guam 282,150
Northern Marianas 70,538
Puerto Rico 1,203,867
Virgin Islands 282,150
112,860,000

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation started the Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers Program in 1983 and the Faith in Action program in 1993. As of 1999, the Foundation has provided Faith in Action with nearly $40 million in support. These efforts have helped to build over 1,100 interfaith volunteer caregiving programs across the country. The Foundation wants to expand this network by supporting the development of 2,000 more Faith in Action coalitions. In addition to providing start-up grants, the Foundation's Faith in Action program will offer these new coalitions significant support and advice on how to develop successful, sustainable caregiving programs that can serve their communities for many years to come.

Faith in Action offers start-up grants of $35,000 for a 30-month period to help communities organize new coalitions for volunteer caregiving. Their staff offers assistance on coalition building, board development, program management, volunteer recruitment and training, communications, and fundraising. Grantees also gain the support of a nationwide network of Faith in Action coalitions.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life, care, and support for the millions of Americans who live with a long-term health condition or disability. The Foundation is the nation's largest philanthropy devoted solely to improving health and health care for all Americans.

In a study of 52 elderly adults, researchers found that those who were caring for a spouse with dementia had reduced immune responses to pneumonia vaccination. Immune reaction to a vaccine is a sign of how the immune system will respond to an actual infection, so this finding suggests elderly caregivers may be more susceptible to pneumonia and other infections. Earlier studies have shown that elderly caregivers have poor immune responses to flu vaccine, too. Flu and pneumonia combined are the fourth-leading cause of death among the elderly. Certain elderly people seem to be particularly vulnerable to the infections, and the stress of caring for an ill spouse may be one factor behind such vulnerability.

The research was done by Dr. Ronald Glaser and his colleagues at Ohio State University in Columbus and reported in the November/December issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

The Administration on Aging (AOA) announced the launch of its new "Because We Care" guide to assist America's family caregivers to deal with the day-to-day challenges associated with caregiving. Caregivers can receive immediate access to information about services and educational tools by logging onto their new site. Designed as a consumer-friendly online resource, the new site is dedicated to the growing numbers of caregivers in communities across the country.

AoA's comprehensive caregiver guide provides information and a range of suggestions on how to make caregiving easier and more effective. Topics include tips on how to maximize your care receiver's independence and health; how to improve or maintain a good quality of life and bring about positive lifestyle changes; and where to turn for help with housing, finding affordable long-term care, and coping with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Caregivers also will find suggestions on how to avoid "burning the candle at both ends." Much of the information is drawn from ongoing research by AoA and recommendations made by hundreds of caregivers across the country.

Family Re-Union is a series of annual conferences moderated by Vice President and Mrs. Gore that bring together families and those who work with them to discuss and design better ways to strengthen family life in America. Each year for the past eight years, Family Re-Union has explored a different topic of critical importance to families, in a format that brings together about 1,000 people on site in Nashville, Tennessee and thousands more around the country in community conversations at down link sites, through live cybercast and live or delayed broadcasts of the entire event. The conferences are sponsored by the University of Minnesota's Children, Youth & Family Consortium and by Vanderbilt University's Child and Family Policy Center.

This year's conference will focus on the issues, strengths and needs of family members of all ages, exploring creative strategies that improve the lives of these families at home and in the community. The conference will highlight programs, policy issues, and research to help communities, states and the federal government respond effectively to these ideas. Conference speakers will look at ways to support family members of all generations as they plan and make choices about living arrangements, health and mental health care, and quality of life.

Some of the key questions to be addressed include:

* How can the invaluable contribution of seniors in our society be expanded and enhanced?
* How can the strengths of each generation be used to meet the needs of the others?
* What is the role of families in ensuring quality health and mental health care for elders?
* How can we support and care for elders while encouraging them to maintain an independent life?
* How can we maintain the health and mental health of caregivers of all generations?
* How can we maximize the contribution of wisdom, experience and dedication of elders to secure our children's future?
* What can we learn from other cultures and traditions?
* What is the potential synergy between elder care and childcare?
* How can we support grandparents raising grandchildren?
* What can seniors give to, and gain from, education at every level?
* What are the options for meaningful work as we age?
* How seniors connect more effectively to family and friends?
* What are the challenges of communicating between the generations?
* How can multi-generation families maintain financial security?
* What is the importance of flexible work arrangements?
* What changes in policy are necessary to address these questions?

AARP's Prime Time Radio archives online RealPlayer files of Mike Cuthbert's popular radio series. In a recent program, Marion Karpinski, RN has put together a series of video tapes offering specific, vital, important and truly helpful advice for people providing care for older adults at home. She talks about the emotionally and physically demanding job of caregiving and outlines some of the subjects covered in her tapes - like lifting and moving someone, talking to those with hearing impairments, and handling changing moods and emotions. You can listen to the program online using the RealNetworks RealPlayer software. The AARP site includes instructions on how to download and use this software.

The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Foundation for Health in Aging is publishing an online resource guide for families called "Eldercare at Home." It is written by professionals who have extensive experience in geriatric care, and it teaches "an orderly problem-solving approach to managing care at home and for working cooperatively with health professionals." The 27 chapters in the Eldercare at Home book cover the most common problems that family caregivers face. Beginning in June chapters are being added at the rate of approximately three a month with the goal of having all 27 chapters available by January, 2001.

The Administration on Aging (AOA) and the New Mexico Department of Aging will host a family caregiving roundtable in Los Griegos Community Center, 1231 Candelaria NW, Albuquerque, NM, (505) 761-4050. The discussion will be on challenges faced by families who care for older relatives who are chronically ill or have disabilities. The roundtable will provide the AoA with the opportunity to hear from family caregivers, community service providers, aging experts, and citizens about the kinds of service, support, and critical assistance needed to better deal with daily burdens and challenges of caregiving.

Al Gore announced a $30 billion program of eldercare initiatives. The core of his proposal is a $3,000-per-year tax credit for families providing long-term care at home for an elderly or disabled relative. He also proposes the creation of a grant program for communities to provide adult day care and respite care to give stressed-out caregivers an occasional break which will cost $2.5 billion over 10 years.

Gore also is proposing the creation of a single national resource center for caregivers where, for example, a daughter in New York could find out how to help her mother who just broke her hip in Florida. Since Medicaid is largest payer for long-term care services, Gore also wants to eliminate the bias in the current Medicaid program for nursing home care. He is proposing to allow states and communities to expand Medicaid coverage to home- and community-based services that would keep the elderly and disabled out of nursing homes, such as transportation and housekeeping services.

Daniel Kuhn, MSW, Education Director at the Mather Institute on Aging (formerly with the Rush Alzheimer's Center in Chicago) has written an excellent book about working with persons with Alzheimer's disease called "Alzheimer's Early Stages: First steps in caring and treatment". It is online and can be viewed, downloaded and printed for free, or a hard copy can be ordered for $14.95.

The spring issue of Mosaic, the video magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, includes a focus on caregiving and eldercare. The video talks about problems of the sandwich generation, options for elders, and how family members can approach the need to discuss this topic with the older generation. The video is available for $12.50 by emailing mosaic@elca.org.

The Annuls of Internal Medicine published a study on the burdens of caregiving. They found that over a 1/3 of patients reported substantial care needs, such as transportation, homemaking, personal care, and nursing care. Patients with substantial care needs were more likely to report financial burdens, such as having to spend at least 10% of household income on health care, having to take out loans, having caregivers who needed to work two jobs, or having to spend savings. Patients with substantial care needs were also more likely than those without such needs to consider voluntarily ending their lives, and their caregivers were more likely to be depressed and to report that caring for the patient interfered substantially with their own lives. The study concluded that physicians could help reduce the problems experienced by caregivers, since patients who reported having physicians who listened to the patient and caregiver reported fewer caregiver burdens.

Providing Care for Another Adult a Second Job for Many,
National Alliance for Caregiving/AARP Study Shows

There are far more Americans holding 'second jobs' as family caregivers than either employers, or the federal government are aware of ' and this 'second job' could pose long-term problems for both.

A survey conducted for the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, funded by MetLife Foundation, estimates there are 44.4 million caregivers who provide unpaid care to another adult. Almost six in ten (59%) of these caregivers either work or have worked while providing care. And 62 percent have had to make some adjustments to their work life, from reporting late to work to giving up work entirely.

And, it's not just women, as some people might think. Almost four in ten (39%) caregivers are men, and 60% of them are working full-time. Our study shows a significant proportion of male caregivers. This is just not just an issue for women, but for everyone.

The study entitled 'Caregiving in the U.S.' was conducted to update and expand our knowledge about the activities caregivers say they perform, the perceived impact of caregiving on their daily lives, and the unmet needs of this population. Caregivers are people age 18 and older who help another person age 18 and older with at least one of thirteen tasks that caregivers commonly do on an unpaid basis. These activities range from helping another manage finances, shop for groceries, or do housework to helping another get in and out of beds or chairs, get dressed, get to and from the toilet, bathe or shower, or eat.

Gail Hunt, President and CEO for NAC, said the survey sheds light on the needs of the caregiving population. 'This study found there is a tremendous need for information and education.' Two-thirds of caregivers say they need help or information on at least one of fourteen activities or issues that caregivers commonly face.

The study indicates that three in ten caregivers carry the heaviest load. These people provide the most hours of care, fulfill the most demanding responsibilities, and are the most affected by their role. This group is more likely to report physical strain, emotional stress, and financial hardship as a result of their caregiving responsibilities compared to caregivers who provide fewer hours of care and perform less demanding tasks. Caregivers who provide the most intense levels of care may find their responsibilities complicated by the fact that they tend to be older and more likely to say their health is only fair compared to other caregivers. Women are more likely to be providing care at the highest levels compared to men.

Nearly eight in ten people who need care are age 50 or older (79%). Caregivers say that older care recipients' (ages 50+) main problem is aging (15%) and their main health problems are heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's or other mental confusion. Caregivers say that younger recipients' (ages 18-49) main problems are mental illness and depression (23%).

The average length of care is 4.3 years; however, three in ten caregivers report providing care for more than five years. Caregivers age 50 and older ' who tend to be caring for mothers and grandmothers ' are among the most likely to have provided care for 20 years or more. The survey found that 17 percent of caregivers between the ages of 50-64 years and 18 percent of those over age 65 have been providing care for more than a decade.

'I think people who are dealing with caretaking are unaware that many of their coworkers are dealing with the same thing,' AARP Board Member Jennie Chin Hansen. 'This report shows just how common this is.'

"The demands placed on caregivers can be tremendous and clearly take a physical and emotional toll," says Sibyl Jacobson, President and CEO, MetLife Foundation. "This is an important study because it directs attention to a growing health concern in our country, the well-being of caregivers."

Some key highlights:

* A typical caregiver is female, 46 years old, married, has some college experience, and provides care to a woman age 50 or older
* More than eight in ten (83%) caregivers say they assist relatives
* A typical care recipient is female, widowed
* The average age of care recipients ages 18-49 is 33 years
* The average age of care recipients ages 50+ is 75 years
* Among caregivers who are caring for someone other than a spouse, the most burdened caregivers say they make an average monthly financial contribution of $437
* Almost one in five (17%) caregivers say they provide 40 or more hours of care per week
* The value of family caregiving to society is estimated at $257 billion annually.

The report was funded by MetLife Foundation, and is based on a national survey of 6,139 adults, 1,247 qualified as caregivers. The margin of error for a sample this size is 2.8 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence.

Established in 1996, the National Alliance for Caregiving is a non-profit umbrella coalition of more than 40 national organizations focusing on issues of family caregiving. The Alliance's mission is to be the objective national resource on family caregiving with the goal of improving the quality of life for families and care recipients. To accomplish its mission, the Alliance conducts research, does policy analysis, develops national programs to support family caregivers and the professionals who work with them, and works to increase public awareness of family caregiving issues. Alliance projects have included the national caregiver surveys; a consumer Internet clearinghouse of reviewed and rated materials on family caregiving; and educational outreach to family caregivers, healthcare providers, financial planners, librarians, employee assistance programs, and volunteer organizations.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to making life better for people 50 and over. We provide information and resources; engage in legislative, regulatory and legal advocacy; assist members in serving their communities; and offer a wide range of unique benefits, special products, and services for our members. These include AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our quarterly publication for Hispanic members; NRTA Live & Learn for National Retired Teachers Association members; and our Web site, www.aarp.org. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

MetLife Foundation, established in 1976 by MetLife, has been involved in a variety of healthy aging initiatives addressing issues of caregiving, intergenerational activities, mental fitness, health and wellness programs and volunteer opportunities. Since 1986, the Foundation has supported research on Alzheimer's disease and recently served as sponsor of The Forgetting, a groundbreaking primetime PBS documentary and educational outreach program on Alzheimer's disease, which provides resources for caregivers. For more information about MetLife Foundation, visit www.metlife.org

Friday, May 7, 2004
Contact: Barbara Foelber or Carol Shirley (202) 434-2560
National Alliance for Caregiving (301) 718-8444

The National Council on the Aging (NCOA) has published results of a survey of employed caregivers. This survey identified the types of help they most needed, and some of their areas of concern about their caregiving responsibilities. Caregivers said they need help finding, arranging for, and monitoring services more than any other kind of help, and also expressed a wish for corporate policies that would allow them the flexibility to deal with their aging family members.