About 34M Unpaid Caregivers Performed $375B Worth Of Aid In 2007, AARP Reports

Main Category: Caregivers / Homecare
Article Date: 21 Nov 2008 - 9:00 PDT

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About 34 million caregivers provided unpaid help to family and friends last year valued at an estimated $375 billion, an increase from $350 billion in 2006, according to a report released on Thursday by AARP, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The estimate, derived from five nationally representative surveys, was based on the caregivers providing an average of 21 hours per week of care at $10.10 per hour to adults with limitations on daily activities, up from $9.63 per hour in 2006, according to the Journal. AARP noted that 34 million is the estimated number of caregivers in the U.S. at any given time, but that 52 million adults provided unpaid care at some point during 2007. According to the report, the typical caregiver is a 46-year-old woman who works outside the home and provides more than 20 hours weekly of unpaid care to her mother, including daily chores and health-related tasks, such as administering medications. According to Elinor Ginzler, AARP's senior vice president for livable communities, 37% of caregivers reduce their working hours or quit their job to provide care. In addition, caregivers to people ages 50 or older on average spent $5,531 out-of-pocket, while long-distance caregivers spent $8,728 out-of-pocket on average, the report found. The report also found that caregivers are at risk of becoming ill themselves because of chronic stress, depending on the intensity of the assistance they provide.

Ginzler said the $375 billion included only conservative increases in the amount of family care and is based on increases in the elderly population and hourly rate. She added that additional "opportunity costs" of forgone paychecks, employer-sponsored health insurance and retirement benefits are not included in the estimate. "People are living longer with chronic conditions, and it is the family and friend that is the delivery system for this care," Ginzler said, adding, "We need policies that support these family members who are sacrificing not only time but dollars."

To support unpaid caregivers, AARP recommended employing workplace policies such as flex-time, telecommuting, referral services and support programs. The group also called for expanded funding to the federal National Family Caregiver Support Program. The program received $166 million for the current fiscal year, which AARP calculated is less than one-20th of 1% of the economic value that caregivers contribute (Greene, Wall Street Journal, 11/20).

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