Caring for an aging family member is a concern that faces more and more families.  As parents and grandparents reach the stage in their lives that they cannot completely care for themselves, decisions must be made that can effect not only the elderly in need of care but also every other member of the family as well as relatives and friends. 

Older Americans are the fastest growing population group.  By the year 2020, those over 55 years old will make up nearly 30 percent of the total population, which reflects growth of 37 percent from 2000 to 2020.  By 2030, one of every five Americans will be 65 and over.  A growing older population will increase the demand for special services.

Several qualitative guidelines are used to assess how capable an elderly or disabled person is at performing the activities involved in everyday life.  Activities of daily living (ADLS) include:

• Getting around in the home,
• Getting in or out of bed or a chair,
• Taking a bath or shower
• Dressing,
• Eating, and Using the toilet

 Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) include:

• Going outside the home,
• Taking medications,
• Keeping track of money and bills
• Preparing meals,
• Doing light housework or handiwork and
• Using the telephone

More individuals had a least one disability in the 65 to 79 age group than any other category in 1994 to 1995 Table 3.

 Table 3.         Disability Status of Persons 55 years old and over; 1994-95,

                        In Thousands.

            Source: U.S.Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States:  199,119^th ED, p.151              

 From 1994 to 1995, spouses were the relatives who provided the most help to people aged 65 ears and over (Table 4).  Daughters provided the second-most amount of help to a parent.  Also, persons who need assistance get a very significant amount of help outside the household.  In 1998, at least three-quarters of the over-55 population owned their own homes, but the percentage drops for the over-75 segment (Table 4).

 Table 4.         Receipt of Personal Assistance by Persons 65 Years and Older                                     with Disabilities:  1994-95, in Thousands.

Source:  U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 199, 119^th ED., p. 151.

Exercise, to the extent possible, is still a relatively popular activity among senior citizens (Table 5).  Charity work is also important to a significant amount of the senior population.  Most of the older population also enjoys reading, music, and art for cultural enrichment, and some actually participate in art activities.

 Table 5.         Participation in Leisure Activities, In Percent: 1997.

Note:  Percents do not add up to 100 because individuals may participate in more than one activity.

Source:  U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 199, 119^th ED., p. 274. 

Informal Caregivers:  The Other Affected Market Segment

While elder care businesses serve the senior population, they are simultaneously serving informal caregivers.  The 9 million adult children who are raising children while caring for aged parents are called the “Sandwich Generation,” 40 percent of which are between the ages of 35 and 49, according to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC).  Almost 40 percent of the senior population currently relies on a working son or daughter, according to a survey by SCAN, a social health maintenance organization in Long Beach, Calif. 

A typical elder caregiver is 46-year-old woman who works and spends approximately 18 hours per week taking care of her elderly mother who lives nearby.  A typical care recipient is a 77 year old woman who lives alone and has at least one chronic illness.   These profiles are the result of a 1997 study by NAC and AARP.

In 1996, approximately 25 percent of all workers in the United States cared for an ailing parent or relative, and by 2002 the portion of workers who are caregivers is expected to rise to 42 percent, according to the Families and Work Institute in New York.  This trend was evidenced by a survey conducted by State Street Corp. in Boston, which reported that in 1997, 8 percent of its workers took time off to provide elder care, and that number has risen to 15 percent in 1999.

The daughters of a family are the ones who perform most of the caregiving duties even if there are other siblings, and caregiving generally falls to just one sibling.  According to NAC, 73 percent of caregivers are women.  Three in five women caregivers, who are from 35 to 49 years old, have full-time or part-time jobs.  About half of the working women caregivers have to change their work schedules.  These women are also spending more time driving a car as part of meeting their Caregiving commitments.

 The careers and health of caregivers are often harmed by their efforts to provide elder care, s reported by Industry Week Daily News Page on Jan. 18, 2000.  Five out of six American workers who work outside the home are forced to quit, retire early, cut back work hours, take a leave of absence, take sick leave, or use up their vacation time in order to care for elderly family members.  An estimated 22.4 million families (almost one-fourth of all households) provides 80 percent of the long-term care for the elderly.   Twenty-nine percent of caregivers passed up promotions, training, and new jobs.  About one-quarter reported that caregiving prevented them from gaining new skills.  Nearly 75 percent said that caring for their elders had harmed their own health.  The pool of family caregivers is dwindling.  In 1990, there were eleven potential caregivers for each person needing care.  In 2050, the ratio will be 4:1.  (Chronic Core in America, Robert Woods Johnson Foundation).

 Business Losses Related To Informal Caregiving

Today, 25 percent of workers furnish care for an elderly relative or friend, 13 percent provide one or more levels of continuing elder care, and 42 percent expect to have elder care responsibilities in the next 5 years, according to the Feb. 1999 Risk Management.  Caregivers often have detrimental work behavior such as arriving late, leaving early, making an inordinate number of personal calls, as well as mental and emotional distractions that slow down their output.  They also face depression in the face of the decline of a loved one, dual stresses in caring for both children and aged parents, unexpected emergencies and feelings of isolation add to their frustration.  U.S. Employers lose $11.4 billion a year according to the Sept. 1999 issue of Business and Health.  These losses are due to absenteeism and lost productivity of workers who are taking time off to take care of their elderly loved ones. 

 Some benefits that employers could possibly offer that would assist caregiver employees include:

• Resource and Referral Services
• Flexible Scheduling
• Family Care Leave of Absence
• Dependent Care Assistance Plans (DCAPs)
• Reimbursement Accounts
• Intergenerational Day-Care Centers Support
• Long-Term Care Insurance

 Elder Care Options

            Elder Care Include:

                        In-Home Care                        Respite Care             Hospice Care

                        Adult Day Care                      Residential Care

In conclusion, the decision on who and how an elderly family member is cared for is a personal one based on the individual needs of the client.  If you decide that day care is the best solution, we at Physicians Adult Daycare, Inc.  will be happy to help you through the transition.  Please feel free to call us at 1-713-805-0777 to talk to a personal counselor,  or go to our related sites page to obtain more information on the elderly and their care.