Home Health & Hospice Week

When formulating care plans for your patients, you may want to take changes in caregiving status into account. While family caregivers often provide their services without monetary compensation, the care they provide is still affected by economic forces, a recent study finds.

The Evercare Survey of The Economic Downturn and Its Impact on Family Caregiving found that family caregivers see a decline in both the care their loved ones receive and the care they are able to provide due to the current economic downturn. There are 44 million family caregivers in the U.S. caring for older adults with chronic illness and disabilities, according to an Evercare press release.

The combined economic value of the care they provide is $375 billion annually.

But Evercare found that almost 20 percent of caregivers surveyed reported a decline in the quality of care their loved ones receive as a direct result of the recession, and 14 percent said the amount of care they have been able to provide for others during this time period has decreased. The survey points to problems that home care patients may have in necessary caregiver support, experts say. And the reported problems could eventually lead to more patients going into hospitals and nursing homes, rather than staying at home. The realities of the current economy combined with the financial burden of caregiving are causing major changes to the working situation for many family caregivers. The survey found:

• 43 percent of family caregivers have taken a pay cut or have been forced to work fewer hours because of the economic downturn.

• One in three employed caregivers have had to work more hours or get an extra job to cover their expenses, including caregiving costs.

• One in six caregivers (15 percent) said the downturn has caused them to lose their job.

• Half of working caregivers (50 percent) said they were less comfortable asking for time off from work to care for their loved one.

• One in eight caregivers (13 percent) is spending more to care for their loved one since the downturn began.

• 65 percent of caregivers who reported spending more to provide care said this increase has made it hard to pay for their own basic necessities, and 64 percent are struggling to pay their other bills.

• Nearly half of working caregivers (47 percent) said the increase in caregiving expenses has caused them to use up all or most of their savings; 43 percent have borrowed money or increased their credit card debt as a result.

• One in three caregivers (36 percent) said they have found that government agencies or nonprofit groups are less able to provide services or outside help to their loved one; one in four caregivers said services or outside help for their loved one had been cut back.