Caregiver Corner

Family Caregiving

Almost 11 million Americans provide unpaid care for a person with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. These unpaid caregivers are primarily family members but also include friends. In 2009, they provided 12.5 billion hours of unpaid care, a contribution to the nation valued at almost $144 billion. Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s or another dementia is often very difficult, and many family and other unpaid caregivers experience high levels of emotional stress and depression as a result. Caregiving also has a negative impact on the health, employment, income and final Caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias provide more hours of help, on average, than caregivers of other older people. The number of hours varies in findings from different studies. The 2009 National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC)/AARP survey on caregiving in the United States found that 15 percent of caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias provided more than 40 hours of care a week, compared with 10 percent of caregivers of other older people.

The average number of hours of unpaid care provided for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias increases as the person’s disease worsens.(50) The number of hours of unpaid care is also greater, on average, for people with coexisting medical conditions in addition to Alzheimer’s or another dementia.(50) Some family and other unpaid caregivers who live with a person who has Alzheimer’s or other dementia provide supervision and help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, getting up with the person at night and assisting with all daily activities.) Such around-the-clock care is needed when the person cannot be left alone because of risk of wandering, getting lost and other unsafe activities.