Informal Caregiving

Although the majority of elderly people are able to manage independently in the community, a significant minority, particularly among those eighty-five and older, requires long-term assistance. Despite the popular association of frailty with nursing home placement, the majority of long-term care is provided in the community by family members, particularly spouses and adult children, with supplemental assistance from friends and neighbors. A 1997 study by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the American Association of Retired Persons estimated that 70 to 80 percent of all the in-home care for older people with chronic impairments is provided by families. According to the same study, nearly 25 percent of all households contain an adult who has provided care for an elderly person within the past year.