Caregiving
Many women are unpaid providers of long-term care in the United States. This is because most people who get ill and need help with daily living at home depend solely on friends and family. Nearly two-thirds of the caregivers of older adults are women — usually the wives or daughters of those who need support. These unpaid caregivers help with anything from grocery shopping and house-cleaning to dressing and using the toilet. They might also help handle financial issues and make medical decisions. More than half of informal caregivers will help out while also working at full-time or part-time jobs. This can make life very stressful. Increasingly, caregiving also can mean helping to raise grandchildren. Read on to learn more about caregiving.
More information on caregiving
Read more from womenshealth.gov
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Caregiver Stress Fact Sheet — This fact sheet provides tips for relieving the stress of caregivers, as well as types of support that are available.
http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/caregiver-stress.cfm
Explore other publications and websites
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Caregiving Across the States: Publicly Funded Programs (Copyright © Family Caregiver Alliance) — This website offers information about caregiver support programs available nationwide. It includes programs funded by the National Family Caregiver Support Program, aged/disabled Medicaid waivers, and state funded programs.
http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=1274
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Caregiving Resources — This resource list includes national organizations that can link you to local resources and support groups for family caregivers.
http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/caregivingresources.htm
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Improving Support for Families and Other Caregivers — This site discusses ways in which we can improve caregiving for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease.
http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/Unraveling/Part4/
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Resources for Caregivers 2007 (Copyright © National Alliance for Caregiving) — This brochure is designed to help individuals and families who have assumed the role of caregiver or anticipate future caregiving. This brochure provides mailing addresses, phone numbers, and Internet addresses of national associations and organizations, plus a list of caregiver-related books, videos, and websites.
http://www.caregiving.org/pdf/resources/resourcesforcaregivers07.pdf
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Selected Caregiver Statistics (Copyright © Family Caregiver Alliance) — This site provides statistics on caregivers, such as age, gender, and ethnicity.
http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=439
Connect with other organizations
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Caring Connections
http://www.caringinfo.org/
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Eldercare Locator, AoA, HHS
http://www.eldercare.gov/eldercare.NET/Public/index.aspx
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Family Caregiver Alliance
http://www.caregiver.org
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National Alliance for Caregiving
http://www.caregiving.org/
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National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers
http://www.caremanager.org
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National Family Caregivers Association
http://www.nfcacares.org/
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National Institute on Aging, NIH, HHS
http://www.nia.nih.gov/
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Well Spouse Association
http://www.wellspouse.org/
Content last updated August 12, 2010.
Resources last updated August 12, 2010.
womenshealth.gov
A federal government website managed by the Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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