Caregiving and dementia

The role of family caregivers has also become more prominent, as care in the familiar surroundings of home may delay onset of some symptoms and postpone or eliminate the need for more professional and costly levels of care. Home-based care may entail tremendous economic, emotional, and even psychological costs as well. Family caregivers often give up time from work and forego pay in order to spend an average of 47 hours per week with an affected loved one, who frequently cannot be left alone. In a survey of patients with long term care insurance, the direct and indirect costs of caring for an Alzheimer's patient averaged $77,500 per year in the United States. Caregivers are themselves subject to increased incidence of depression, anxiety, and, in some cases, physical health issues.

CAREGIVING - Caring For Elderly Parents

A picture of the work caregiving...