FCRP Policy Statement

The Family Caregiver Research Program of the Colleges of Nursing and Human Medicine received a report from the Alzheimer's Association describing the situations facing families who care for persons with Alzheimer's disease. Our research, in Michigan with caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's, cancer, other chronic diseases, and the dependent elderly in general underscores the problems identified in this National Report; therefore, we are sharing these highlights to summarize needs of families providing long term home care in the home.

Families provide between 80 and 90% of all care to the 2.4 million persons (1 million with Alzheimer's disease) who are severely impaired and reside at home.

Family Caregiving involves the most intimate tasks--feeding, bathing, using the toilet, and in some cases changing diapers. For many patients, managing behavioral problems are added to these responsibilities. Families caring for persons 70 years of age and older spend an average of 80 hours a week in caregiving.

One third of all caregivers work full or part time. Women in the work force who are caregivers have a combined average work week that exceeds 75 hours. Full time care is required for more than two years. Caregivers themselves are on average 57 years old. This fact heightens the possibility that they themselves will become ill.

Family caregivers overwhelmingly state that respite--time out from caring--is the most needed service. At this time only 2% of caregivers receive this service. Virtually all caregivers report a need for assistance in locating respite services and wish to know about the quality and integrity of services to which they are entrusting their relative.

Eligibility criteria for assistance based on medical diagnosis and physical disability make many caregivers and their patients ineligible for assistance. High costs of many services make them inaccessible to all but the wealthy. Support programs to assist caregivers must include components to help them know how to contact, obtain, and use appropriately, community support services. Services must be available to all and families must be assisted to use these services before they are in crisis.

Evidence from the family caregiver research programs indicates that families do not over use even free services indiscriminately. Instead, they need to understand that respite is essential if they are to continue to provide care to their loved ones at home. We need a state and national caregiver support policy with a commitment of public and private resources to make such a policy a reality and provide needed support to the millions of families who provide home care.

For more information on this report write to: Judith Assinus Riggs, Alzheimer's Association -Washington Office, 1334 G St, NW 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20005. For more information call Dr. Charles W. Given 1-800-654-8219 or (517) 353-3843. Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Charles W. Given, B-100 Clinical Center, Department of Family Practice, Michigan State University, East Lansing. M1 48824.