The demand for family caregivers for adults who are 65 or older is increasing significantly, and family caregivers need more recognition, information and support to fulfill their responsibilities and maintain their own health, financial security and well-being, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Although caregivers’ individual circumstances vary, family caregiving can negatively affect caregivers’ mental and physical health as well as cause economic harm, including loss of income and career opportunities. The report calls for health care delivery system reform that elevates family-centered care alongside person-centered care to better account for the roles of family caregivers and support their involvement in the care delivery process.
The committee, which included María Aranda, associate professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, found that by 2030, 72.8 million U.S. residents—more than 1 in 5—will be 65 or older. According to the National Survey of Caregivers, in 2011, 17.7 million people—or approximately 7.7 percent of the total U.S. population aged 20 and older—were caregivers of an older adult because of health problems or functional impairments. This estimate does not include caregivers of nursing home residents. Furthermore, for most family caregivers, caregiving is not a short-term obligation. The median number of years of family care for older adults with high needs is five years. The proportion of older adults who are most likely to need intensive support from family caregivers—those in their 80s and beyond—is projected to climb from 27 percent in 2012 to 37 percent in 2050. Little action has been taken to prepare the health care and social service systems for this demographic shift, the committee said.