National Family Caregivers Month

November is set aside for family caregivers.  Caregivers are those family members or friends who provide long-term, unpaid care and assistance to older adults.  As a caregiver, you could care for chronic health problems or disabilities.  Likewise, you could care for a person having trouble managing daily routines.

What would you do as a caregiver?  You would typically help manage bills, shop, cook as well as help with bathing and dressing. 

If you guessed that a large number of caregivers are women you would be correct.  The CDC estimates that about 58% of caregivers are women.  Additionally, close to one-third of the caregivers work at least 20 hours a week.  

The ages that require care based on information from the CDC are interesting.  There are about 79% of caregivers who care for adults ages 50 and up. For those ages 65 and older it is 76%.

You may have noticed that the US population is aging.  Consequently the number of caregivers is increasing.  From 2015 to 2020 the number of caregivers has gone from 43 million to 53 million. That number is expected to continue to climb.

Below are some suggestions from the CDC on how best to support a caregiver:

You can pitch in with chores, errands or tasks.

Make sure the caregiver has emotional support.

You could work out times to check on the caregiver’s well being.

Help them to be sure to manage their own health care.

Be available if they need help coming up with a care plan.

Reach out and let them know there are mental health services available. 

Private Home Health Care knows that caring for loved ones with health issues can be difficult.   We support and respect family caregivers.  We offer our services if there comes a time when you need additional help.