Join the Accredited Care management and staff in celebrating National Family Caregivers Appreciation Month! Every November the nation celebrates and honors family caregivers who take care of the ones they love. One of the best ways to help reduce the stress of a family caregiver is to incorporate the use of professional in-home caregivers to help take some of the load off.

The Typical Family Caregiver

According to the 2015 Research Report “Caregiving in the U.S.”:

Female (60%) & Male (40%)
1 in 10 provides care for their spouse
1 in 10 is aged 75 and older (7% of family caregivers)
85% of unpaid caregivers care for family members
The average length of time is approximately 4 years (75% care for a loved one for 1-4 years); while 24% care for loved ones 5+ years
Many family caregivers are forced to give up working when caring for a parent or in-law
The average age of caregivers is 49
6 in 10 are employed; costing employers $34 billion/year [1]
The oldest caregivers are Caucasian spouses who average about 3 years of age
1 in 10 caregivers who are 75 plus tend to be female spouses caring for their husbands. Their husbands are most often are suffering from Alzheimer’s and/or other issues typical to aging, or heart health issues.

The Typical Recipient

According to the same report referenced above, “Caregiving in the U.S.” gives us these statistics about those who are receiving care:

65% are female & 35% are male
The average age of a care recipient is 4 years of age
Nearly 50% of caregivers are caring for someone aged 75+
Younger recipients tend to have younger caregivers; older recipients tend to have older caregivers
The average typical recipient is a 77 year old male with 1 or more of the most common problems of Alzheimer’s, health issues from aging, and/or heart problems
49 % of those receiving care are the parents or the parent-in-law of their caregiver
12% of recipients are spouses or partners
3 in 10 recipients live alone still (not in assisted living facilities)