Family Caregivers

Are you a family caregiver?

The HealthWell Foundation recognizes the important role family caregivers play in the lives of the patients we serve. It is often a family caregiver who reaches out to HealthWell for assistance on behalf of their loved one. We know that caregiving can be both significantly rewarding and tremendously challenging, and we are honored to share these resources to help make the caregiving journey just a little bit easier.

Family caregivers provide a wide variety of support and care for family members, friends, and neighbors — from occasionally checking in on a loved one, to providing transportation and meals, to providing personal or even medical care. Here are just a few of the things family caregivers do for their loved ones:

  • Checking on a friend or neighbor to see if they need anything
  • Helping out with rides to the grocery store or health care appointments
  • Doing housekeeping, yard work, or shopping
  • Preventing isolation by ensuring a loved one has opportunities to socialize
  • Organizing, monitoring, or administering medications
  • Preparing or delivering meals
  • Coordinating care for a loved one, including physical and/or mental health care, home health, or nursing care
  • Providing personal care by helping with dressing, bathing and/or toileting
  • Assisting with managing finances

Disclaimer

Family caregivers are in good company

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53 Million U.S. Adult Caregivers
$600 Billion worth of care in 2021 from caregivers
36 billion hours of family caregiving annually
26% of Family Caregiver's income goes to caregiving activities
Half of caregivers perform complex medical/nursing tasks
1 in 4 U.S. workers is a family caregiver
Sources: “Caregiving in the U.S. 2020”, AARP and Natl. Alliance for Caregiving; “Caregiving Out-of-Pocket Costs Study”, July 2021, AARP; “Valuing the Invaluable”, March 2023, AARP.

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Top challenges for family caregivers

Caregiving can be an extremely rewarding experience for caregivers and the loved one(s) they care for. It can also be time-consuming, expensive, stressful and full of emotional highs and lows.

 

How will acting as a family caregiver affect my life?

Family caregivers often feel isolated and overwhelmed. There is too much to do and not enough time. You often need to put your loved ones’ needs above your own, placing yourself at the bottom of the “to-do” list. Acting as a family caregiver may impact your:

Family caregiver infographic. A text-based description of the infographic can be found following the graphic.
Finances Career Physical Health Care Mental Health Care Relationships Home Life

  • Your spending increases; income and savings often decrease.

  • You need flexibility at work, which isn’t always available. You may need to change your work location, schedule, or type of work, or even stop working.

  • You have less time to care for yourself, and you get less sleep and exercise. You often sacrifice your own health, putting off health care appointments and not taking medications as directed.

  • You don’t have time for your support system, socialization, hobbies, and things that nurture you. At the same time, you experience increased stress, grief and loss, sadness, fear, or burnout.

  • Your lack of time and energy for other family, friends, and colleagues may lead to damaged relationships.

  • You struggle to keep up with caring for your own home and yard, laundry, and preparing healthy meals.

What types of care challenges will I face?

Family caregivers are shifting to more complex roles and responsibilities and caring for multiple family members with greater health or functional needs. You may feel unprepared for the wide variety of caregiving challenges you face. You may struggle to keep all the balls in the air, and likely haven’t had training about how to perform many tasks. It may feel like life is a series of constant crises.

Care challenges infographic. A text-based description of the infographic can be found following the graphic.
Legal Issues Money Management Medical/Nursing Tasks Mobility, Exercise, and Physical Therapy Personal Care Navigation Transportation href= Housing Quality of Life

  • Advance directives (living will, power of attorney for health care, etc.), power of attorney for finances, estate planning, and other important legal documents may need to be created and/or updated.

  • Managing someone else’s money can be complicated, and you may never have dealt with the complications of insurance, properties, medical bills, benefits, retirement accounts, and other financial matters your loved ones need help with.

  • Family caregivers may be expected to perform complex tasks like wound care, administering multiple medications, and dealing with medical equipment.

  • You may help loved ones use walkers, canes, wheelchairs, or perhaps use a patient lift. Motivating them and helping them do their exercises can be time-consuming.

  • Providing hands-on personal care for dressing, bathing, toileting, incontinence care and more can be complicated and perhaps challenging due to your relationship with those you care for.

  • Finding your way through the health care systems (including Medicare and Medicaid), Veterans Affairs (VA), various public benefits, and other federal, state, and local systems can be time-consuming and confusing.

  • Ensuring your loved ones get where they need to go when they need to be there can be difficult. You may be finding and scheduling rides or providing them yourself.

  • Your loved ones are most likely to live in their own homes or in your home, but some may be living in assisted living, group homes, or skilled nursing facilities. Each comes with its own set of benefits and challenges. Safety at home is also a critical concern.

  • Amidst the constant logistical and health issues, you need to find ways to ensure your loved ones experience joy, connect with others, and keep up the things that are important to them as much as possible. This may include care for their beloved pets.

 

Top resources for family caregivers

Caregiving Essentials

These articles address the “nuts and bolts” of caregiving, with information and resources about many of the issues that family caregivers frequently face.

HealthWell thanks Caregiving expert Amy Goyer for contributing content for this resource page. Amy Goyer is a nationally known caregiving expert and author of Juggling Life, Work, and Caregiving. A passionate champion for caregivers, she has also been one her entire adult life, caring for her grandparents, parents, sister, and others. Connect with Amy on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Real World Health Care

HealthWell’s blog, Real World Health Care, features compelling content on health care issues affecting Americans through profiles of patient advocacy organizations and the people and programs changing the way health care is delivered. Our latest caregiving-related blog posts are featured here.

By Real World Health Care Editorial Staff

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Organization Skills Required: Coordinating Medical Care for Your Loved One

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5 Tips to Manage Caregiver Anxiety and Depression

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Two Full-Time Jobs: The Challenges of Being a Family Caregiver While Working

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How to Ask for Financial Support During Cancer Treatment

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Caregiving Expert: “Fill Your Tank”

02.22.2023
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A Look Back at 2022: Celebrating Patient Advocates

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Stress on Family Caregivers Soars During COVID-19 Pandemic

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