Taking care of an adult family member can be expensive, stressful, and time-consuming. As adults live longer, family members often become the primary caregiver for health care, financial, and daily needs. These responsibilities can be both overwhelming and rewarding.
Family caregivers are offloading responsibilities to professional caregiving services in droves
When caregivers are overwhelmed, they turn to professional caregivers like those at 24 Hour Home Care, a highly-reviewed agency providing home care in Sacramento, CA. Professional caregivers have flexible availability, personalized care, and experience recognizing the shifting needs of aging adults.
Family caregivers are usually unpaid
Caregivers give hours to their adult relatives, but they do not receive payment for their work. Many end up missing work to help, which compounds their stress.
Caring for aging adults affects the caregiver’s paying job
As many adults work full- or part-time and care for their families, they often miss work to provide care. If a loved one’s employers aren’t flexible, they could have problems retaining their jobs. Family caregivers also lose out on pay while caring for their family members.
Caregivers report health problems as a result of reduced self-care
Often, caregivers complain of their own health problems because they have to reschedule their appointments to take care of their family members. These family members may also stop exercising and doing enjoyable activities in their free time because of caregiving.
The majority of family caregivers are employed women
The most common demographic for family caregivers are minority women who are employed full- or part-time.
Most family caregivers do not have any medical training
Despite being the primary caregivers for people with medical problems, most family caregivers do not have any training to provide medical care. Family caregivers’ loved ones are less likely to receive the full spectrum of care they need as a result.
Many caregivers don’t know where to go for professional care
Part of the problem for family caregivers is that they don’t know where to find qualified, affordable, and professional care. These adults are often too busy to look for care and interview people to provide it.
Most caregivers are between the ages of 45 and 64
This age group is still busy working and taking care of their own children. Some also care for young grandchildren. This generation becomes sandwiched between two groups of needy people.
Caregivers provide more than twenty hours of unpaid care each week
Family caregivers have little time for themselves between work and caring for their adult family members. Breaking down twenty hours per week can quickly become a minimum of three hours every day.
Most adult caregivers provide help with errands, home repairs, and emotional support
These are time-consuming and expensive tasks that often add more stress, especially with driving and fixing problems around the home.
Wrap up
Family caregiving is time-consuming with plenty of stress. It involves balancing work, family, and caregiving. Family caregivers can quickly become overwhelmed sandwiched between so many needs, which is why so many have chosen to hire professionals to help with so many caregiving tasks.
