November Is National Family Caregivers Month - Let an expert from Unum help with your stories
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November Is National Family Caregivers Month - Let an expert from Unum help with your stories


As our population ages the need for care across all of America is enormous and growing each year. For most, there’s no questioning the idea of taking care of a loved one – but it can come with a cost, and not just financial. It can be exhausting, stressful and socially limiting.


The number of people fulfilling the role of an adult caregiver in America is staggering. In fact, according to the National Center on Caregiving:


  • Approximately 43.5 million caregivers have provided unpaid care to an adult or child in the last 12 months.
  • About 34.2 million Americans have provided unpaid care to an adult age 50 or older in the last 12 months.
  • The majority of caregivers (82%) care for one other adult, while 15% care for 2 adults, and 3% for 3 or more adults.
  • Approximately 39.8 million caregivers provide care to adults (aged 18+) with a disability or illness or 16.6% of Americans.
  • About 15.7 million adult family caregivers care for someone who has Alzheimer's disease or dementia.

 



Gender also plays a role in caregiving:


  • 65% of care recipients are female, with an average age of 69.4. The younger the care recipient, the more likely the recipient is to be male. 45% of recipients aged 18-45 are male, while 33% of recipients aged 50 or higher are male.
  • Upwards of 75% of all caregivers are female, and may spend as much as 50% more time providing care than males.
  • Male caregivers are less likely to provide personal care, but 24% helped a loved one get dressed compared to 28% of female caregivers. 16% of male caregivers help with bathing versus 30% of females. 40% of male caregivers use paid assistance for a loved one's personal care. About 14.5 million caregivers are males out of the 43.4% who care for an older family member.



If you’re a journalist covering National Family Caregivers Month, let us help. Our experts can discuss the financial strains on families, how this impacts the workplace and what options and benefits are out there for those who provide care.


Michelle Jackson is the Assistant Vice President, Market Development for Unum, a leading provider of workplace financial protection benefits. She specializes in mental and behavioral health, caregiving, aging family members, paid family leave, and workplace issues. She is available to speak with media - simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.





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