Number of Family Caregivers Supporting Older Adults Increasing

THURSDAY, Feb. 20, 2025 (HealthDay News) — From 2011 to 2022, there was an increase in the number of family caregivers providing help to older U.S. adults, according to a study published in the February issue of Health Affairs.

Jennifer L. Wolff, Ph.D., from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues examined trends in the number of family caregivers providing help to older adults between 2011 and 2022 drawing on the linked National Health and Aging Trends Study and National Study of Caregiving.

The researchers observed an increase of nearly 6 million in the number of family caregivers providing help to older adults, from 18.2 to 24.1 million. Network size was stable among older adults receiving care, at about two caregivers per adult at both time points. In 2022 versus 2011, older adults being assisted by family caregivers were younger, more likely to be male and better educated, and less likely to have dementia. Few changes were seen in competing work and child care responsibilities, weekly care hours, and caregiving-related difficulty. A smaller number of family caregivers were assisting fewer older adults with dementia; co-residence in this group increased by 25 percent, average care hours increased by 50 percent, and employment decreased.

“The results of this study affirm the persisting and substantial role assumed by family caregivers in supporting the health and well-being of older adults in community and residential care facility settings,” the authors write. “The increasing pressures on family caregivers assisting older adults with dementia are especially concerning, with ramifications for the feasibility, costs, and urgency of policy intervention.”

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