More than one in six Americans who work at least 15 hours per week also assist with the care of an elderly or disabled family member or friend according to a Gallup poll. Gallup recently took a look at the effect of caregiving in the United States, including the overall demographics of caregivers, the effect of caregiving in the workplace, and the personal impact felt by the caregivers themselves.
Who is giving care?
Working caregivers are a fairly diverse group. When broken into major socioeconomic and demographic groups, between 13 and 22 percent of workers give care to someone either inside or outside the home. More than 1 in 10 Americans in all age, demographic, and economic groups are self-reported caregivers, and the groups most likely to be giving care are middle-aged, low-income, black, Hispanic, less educated, or female.
The slight discrepancies between low-income and high-income households as well as less educated and more educated households may reflect an ability to pay for professional care.
What is the effect in the workplace?
On average, workers who are also caregivers report missing 6.6 workdays per year as a result of their caregiving responsibilities. With 1 in 6 workers acting as caregivers, this loss of work time leads to a combined 126 million workdays a year, or about $25 billion in lost productivity.
Most caregivers report that their employers are aware of their status as a caregiver, but about 28 percent said they believe their employer is unaware. Less than a fourth had access to support groups or other such assistance, though providing this support could be beneficial for businesses as workers would be less likely to miss work days.
What is the impact on the caregivers?
Gallup found that, generally, the physical and emotional health of working caregivers is poorer than other Americans’, with younger workers being affected the most. Those who give care, suffer, on average, higher rates of high blood pressure, physical pain, and depression. It is likely that the stress of caring for an elderly or disabled relative or friend taxes the physical and psychological well being of those who give the care.
Assistance in the form of professional caregiving or medical alert companies like RescueAlert.com may help some workers manage their stress. Since elderly and disabled who are otherwise able to look after themselves enjoy increased independence with a medical bracelet or other alert device, this is something that could help both caregivers and those receiving care.
