A new survey from Caring.com has revealed that the majority of family caregivers are deeply impacted by the financial and emotional costs of caring for their loved ones. Our Costs of Caregiving infographic highlights their primary concerns.
Caring for a loved one takes a heavy toll on the caregivers' work life, as more than one-third of all survey respondents indicated that their work situation was impacted by either having to quit their job, retire early, reduce hours, or take a leave of absence. Combined with the 37 percent of respondents who aren't working, the survey shows that a startling 74 percent of caregivers have either had to change their job situation or are not working. These results, coupled with the findings that 42 percent are spending more than $5,000 a year on caring and over 60 percent are concerned about the impact that providing care is having on their savings, clearly demonstrate that the financial toll of caregiving is a major issue for the millions of Americans who care for their loved ones.
Caregiving also results in measurable emotional costs. The survey indicates that caring for a loved one is the number-one source of stress among respondents (69 percent), ahead of the downturn in the economy and other family medical problems. In terms of family relationships, more than a quarter said their relationships had been negatively impacted by providing care. However, 75 percent say their caregiver role is a source of pride because they're making a difference for their loved one.
In total, close to 1,000 family caregivers participated in the Caring.com Caregiver Survey in November 2010.
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The fact that I am not alone in feeling the emotional and financial impact. I can identify with the others out there in a similar situation. Somehow makes care-giving tolerable
My parents moved out closer to me in 2004 from Virginia. My Dad had advanced Parkinson's and my mother has two other types of neuological issues causing her to be physically disabled, and she has bladder issues. The same year my parents moved here, my husband became disabled due to a head injury. I was grateful to be working part-time, since I spent every afternoon in a doctors office. My husband's disability kept us (barely going). I also have two boys, who are in their early 20's now and in school. My Dad died in 2009; my mother's conditions are worsening and she's very needy, and my husband died a just over a month ago unexpectedly (still waiting to hear why). I have to find full-time work (and there aren't many jobs out there), move (can't afford the mortgage) and help my mother (even when I don't feel like it, because I've got my own things going on). My brothers and sister all live out of state, and they help from a distance and come out when they can, but everyone's budget is hurting. I am torn in so many directions, broke, scared, grieving and frustrated, but you have to keep plugging on and this knot in my stomach needs to go away. Sorry, I needed to ramble.
Hugs to those above who wrote before me... In keeping with your invitation to link to the graphic statistics above, I am going to put a link to it on our Annual Reports and Statistics page of the Well Spouse(tm) Association, http://wellspouse.org. thanks, Richard
It's even worse for caregivers who are on a limited budget, and so many services are being cut due to the bad economy, but the ones I really admire are the caregivers looking after children and elderly at the same time. Don't know how they manage it.
Seeing these stats made me feel a lot less alone. I wonder what our lawmakers and policy setters are doing about this, however. I had to resign from my job because my employer would not allow me to take extended leave to look after my parents, one of whom has Alzheimer's, another cancer. My husband was allowed to take a week of parenting leave when our children were born, and I took maternity leave for six weeks after our first child was born. (And then I decided I couldn't handle a newborn and full-time employment---six weeks just wasn't enough time to recover from a difficult labor and arrange for our baby's care while I was at work.) If my employer could give me that time back then to look after myself and my child, why couldn't they give me time off for my parents? Even unpaid leave would have been helpful back then.
I took care of my mom for over 25 years after my dad died. She had osteoporosis and suffered two broken hips (separate times); a broken shoulder and two broken wrists (at the same time). I spent many hours in hospitals, emergency rooms, rehab centers. I am an only child and I was her "parent." I took her to her doctor appointments, I took her out shopping, we went to dinner, we went on vacations. She lived with me off and on during these recovery periods, but when she broke both wrists at age 81 she moved in with my husband and me. At age 85 she developed breast cancer and survived a lumpectomy and radiation (tmy darling husband would take her every morning and then they would have a "date" for breakfast -- hey had to give her double doses because of the pain raising her right arm -- the one with the broken shoulder -- caused and that made her weak, but she never complained). At age 87 she developed CHF and we continued on (she was still of sound mind and could get around with no assistance) until age 88 when she had a stroke and our nightmare began. She couldn't walk so we brought a hospital bed into our living room/dining room area, alng with a potty chair, oxygen and a wheelchair. My husband took a night job to take care of her during the day and I was the "night nurse." I got up an hour earlier every morning to bathe her and dress her and get her to the potty. We had an aide come in to "babysit" for a few hours in the late morning/early afternoon so that my husband could get some sleep. In the evenings she and I would sit together and watch TV and then I would get her ready for bed. As the months wore on, my dear sweet mother started seeing "voodoo" people on the walls; she thought my husband and I had turned into these voodoo people and she started crying all the time and talking ALL NIGHT LONG...It was horrible...I was scared and very angry -- I had lost my mother and I didn't want her to leave me. We yelled at each other, we said horrible things to each other, we apologized and we cried together... My mother died last February and there is not a day that goes by that I don't grieve for her. I miss her hugs, I miss her smile, I miss all the good times we had before she got sick..I JUST MISS HER. I never thought I would survive that last year of caregiving (and I am ashamed at some of my thoughts and actions during that time) but I am hoping that now that my mom is in a better place she will have forgiven me for some of my awful actions and I am hoping that in time as I remember all of the good times we had and all of the good years I took care of her I will find my own peace...
I help take care of my Mom who is 79 years of age still thinks she can do for herself but has not excepted that she can't. I live down the street from her in small rural area, after living in the city for 40 years. She is tough had 9 children of her own and the oldest of 10 herself. My only Son passed away a year ago March 20, 2011 he was just 31 years of age, it has been one of the hardest things to go through. But I ask God to give me strength to go on but it does get lonely at times. Thank God for my two Daughters and all my Grandchildren and family.
Hugs annmartin