Caregiving Affects Marriages

In previous years, family caregiving responsibilities outweighed worries about job security and savings. However, with the economy in recession, job security and finances are now equally, if not more important.

In a recent survey, one-third of caregivers who work outside the home believe that caregiving responsibilities have affected their job performance, and 30 percent of those who are married report that their responsibilities have strained their marriage. The survey found that caregivers spend an average of 10 hours a week coordinating or actively providing care. Despite their sacrifices, 48 percent of the caregivers surveyed lack confidence in the quality of their caregiving arrangements.

Most caregivers are time-starved and overwhelmed by the complexity of their caregiving responsibilities.

80 percent of the survey respondents work full-time outside the home and are juggling caregiving, childcare and job responsibilities. At the same time, many are caring for patients with increasingly serious physical and cognitive impairments – conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and debilitating arthritis, which are on the rise due to longer life expectancies.

While care recipients in the study receive, on average, 16 to 20 hours of care from all caregivers combined – paid and unpaid – half of the surveyed believe that there are additional hours of care that are required but not provided.
Perhaps as a result of this shortfall, half of the survey respondents report that care recipients have missed meals or suffered from poor nutritional intake, while an additional one-third have visited an emergency room or sustained injuries from an accident. Another 22 percent have been alone at home when an emergency occurred.
As the time demands and costs associated with caregiving escalate, many caregivers feel they have no choice but cut back on care and supervision.

The result, unfortunately, is a sharp increase in nutritional problems, injuries and drug noncompliance. All too often, there is no care coordinator in place who is responsible for ensuring a comprehensive and consistent level of caregiving.
Among the survey’s other key findings, caregivers overestimate the percentage of caregiving costs covered by Medicare. While only 3 percent of the survey respondents expect Medicare to cover all of current and future caregiving costs, 26 percent expect to be reimbursed for most of their care-related expenses and half expect half or more of costs to be covered. In reality, Medicare will typically cover only a portion of the cost of caregiving.

Nearly half of caregivers surveyed report that they worry six or more times per week about the well-being of the person for whom they care.


Call us now for assistance (301) 663-9230
We can help you!

Senior Life Care Planning, LLC
1560 Oppossumtown Pike, Suite A-12
Frederick, MD 21702
301.663.9230
www.seniorlcp.com