Daughter or daughter-in-law most likely to bear burden of caregiving

The burden of caregiving in America is increasingly falling upon women. That's according to Homewatch International, franchisor for more than 140 Homewatch CareGivers locations in 35 states and 7 countries.

"This is a major trend that we're seeing in our business, and recent studies have also confirmed this," said Homewatch International President Leann Reynolds. "More than 50 million Americans are now caregivers, and an increasing number of women are turning to companies such as ours to help deal with the caregiving burden."

Reynolds noted that most adults (about eight in 10) who receive long-term care at home get their care from family, friends and volunteers. Furthermore, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging, a daughter or daughter-in-law is most likely to assume the role of caregiver in the absence of a spouse who can provide care. That's followed by the granddaughter, and finally, the son.

"We hear every day about the challenges that caregivers face. We've discovered that caregivers -- most of whom are women -- are often overwhelmed to the point of sacrificing their own health," said Reynolds. "But families who are taking care of their loved ones don't have to do so at the expense of their jobs, children, spouses and health."

With an aging population and increased demand for home care services, Reynolds said more resources are starting to be devoted to caregiving. When a professional home care agency such as Homewatch CareGivers steps in to provide the primary caregiver a break, it's often referred to as respite care. Respite care has been shown to save consumers, businesses, government and the healthcare system billions of dollars each year by keeping people out of hospitals, nursing homes and other institutional care facilities and allowing family caregivers to continue to work.

At the end of 2006, The Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2006 (HR 3248) was signed into law. The bipartisan legislation authorized $289 million over five years for state grants to develop Lifespan Respite Programs to help families access quality, affordable respite care. Congress has yet to include the $40 million required to fund the Lifespan Respite Program, and numerous organizations are continuing to fight for full funding.

No matter what happens with the legislation, Reynolds emphasized that women -- and caregivers in general -- need to find a way to share responsibilities and discuss caregiving options with family members, community outreach organizations or professional home care providers.

Reynolds believes that families will continue to be the primary source of caregiving and companies such as Homewatch CareGivers will play an important role in meeting the increased demand for respite care. Other efforts aimed at dealing with the increased demand for caregiving include the work of The National Aging Services Network to develop systems of support for caregivers (www.longtermcarelink.net/eldercare_area_agencies_on_aging.htm), and The Lifespan Respite Task Force www.archrespite.org/NRC.htm.

About Homewatch CareGivers

Homewatch CareGivers has been a premier provider of home care for people of all ages for over 26 years. With our Advanced Continuum of Care, we are able to help our clients stay comfortable and safe ... no matter where they live. For more information, please visit www.homewatchcaregivers.com.

About Homewatch International, Inc.

Homewatch International, Inc., presents Homewatch CareGivers, a franchise with diverse revenue streams providing the widest array of care services in the industry. For more information, visit www.homewatch-intl.com.

Source: Homewatch International, Inc.

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http://www.homewatch-intl.com/
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