Caregivers at Risk

Family Caregiver Alliance’s statewide survey of California caregivers of brain-impaired adults (those with Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s disease, etc.), revealed:

77% of caregivers were female
Mean age of caregivers: 58; 32% of caregivers are 65 years of age or older (range of caregiver age was 17 – 99 years)
78% of care recipients lived at home with a spouse or other relatives
47% of those caregivers under age 65 worked (full-time 33%; part-time 14%)
Of those who had been in the labor force under age 65, 10% had quit their jobs to give care. Another 11% reduced their work hours.
43% showed clinically significant depressive symptoms according to the CES-D evaluation; 56% report experiencing “anxiety or depression” within the last six months; and 50% report their health as “worse than it was six months ago.”
79% of those responding said patient could not be left alone
63% are unable to perform 3 to 5 personal activities of daily living (e.g., eating, bathing, transferring, toileting, dressing). 20% cannot perform 1 or 2 ADLs. 56% are incontinent.
56% of family caregivers had annual household incomes of under $40,000 (2005 dollars)
Greatest caregiver needs were for general information/orientation (68%), emotional support (59%) and respite care (53%)
Mean number of hours caregivers provided care: 84 per week

Source: Caregiver Resource Centers’ 2004-2005 Intake data and 2004-2005 Uniform Assessment Database. Population consists of 9,988 family caregivers from all regions of the state who were assessed by one of the CRCs (received services beyond basic information).