Caregiving Brings Health Risks, Report Finds

National Family Caregivers Association Kensington, Maryland August 10, 1998

The National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) released a report today documenting that caregivers who provide extensive and intensive caregiving for family members are an at-risk population for health and emotional problems of their own.

"We're reaching a point where more than eight million intense caregivers in this country may be in need of care," said Suzanne Mintz, president of NFCA. "Intense caregiving needs to be recognized as a real health risk."

An "intense caregiver" is defined as an individual who spends more than 21 hours a week providing different types of care for loved ones who are chronically ill, disabled or no longer able to function independently.

"Caregiving Across the Life Cycle," a National Family Caregivers Association/Fortis Report, found that:

• Sixty-one percent of respondents are experiencing depression as a consequence of care-giving. This is six times the national average for clinical depression.
• More than half of all caregivers reported sleeplessness. Forty-one percent documented back pain and 24 percent reported stomach disorders.
• Caregivers who reported depression had significantly more health conditions and more feelings of isolation, frustration, and sadness, and felt less compassion, love and satisfaction than those caregivers who did not report depression.
• Despite the psychological and physical impact of caregiving, three of four respondents identified a spiritual aspect, an inner strength, as an outcome of their care role.
• Caregivers are not a homogenous population -- specific needs exist for different caregiving situations.

Caregivers make an enormous, yet unrecognized, in-kind contribution to the economy and receive little help in the process. One out of four receive help from other family members.

"The health and human services system should assess a person's ability to be a caregiver, support the person in that role, and monitor the health of the caregiver as well as the care recipient," said David Levy, president of AdultCare, the company that conducted the survey and produced the report for NFCA.

"We need to identify caregivers, especially intense caregivers, and begin to get them the help and services they need. For starters, why not routinely ask, 'Are you a caregiver?' as part of every medical exam," Mintz said.

"Cost containment in healthcare and reductions in services are making it increasingly difficult for caregivers to cope," Mintz said. "Medicare is cutting back on home care, while hospitals are shortening the length of patient stays. We are basically saying to the family, 'you do it,' while disregarding what happens to family members who step up to the challenge. By not helping caregivers, we are potentially creating a second set of patients."

Of the more than 2,300 members of NFCA, 35 percent participated in the survey. Three-fourths of all respondents have been providing care for five years or more. Seventy-eight percent provide intense care. The majority of respondents care for someone over 50 years of age.

The National Family Caregivers Association, Kensington, Md., is the only charitable organization dedicated to making life better for all of America's family caregivers. Its services include education, information, support and validation, public awareness and advocacy. Through services to members, NFCA strives to minimize the disparity between the caregiver's quality of life and that of mainstream America.

The NFCA/Fortis report was funded by Fortis Long Term Care. Fortis Long Term Care is based in Milwaukee, Wis., and is a market leader in long term care insurance and related high value products. Its mission is to offer products and services that assist families in preserving their financial and emotional independence. Fortis Long Term Care is part of Fortis, Inc., a financial services company that owns or manages about $12 billion in assets in the United States.

AdultCare, Inc., is a Fortis company based in Deerfield Beach, Fla. It specializes in individual and family caregiving and elder issues, providing information, education, advice, and support to those enrolled in its service programs.

For more information on the report, call Suzanne Mintz, President, NFCA, at (301) 942-6430 or visit the NFCA website at www.nfcacares.org.

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