NORC Poll: Adult caregivers overwhelmed and undertrained
Only 47 percent of those say they got most or all of the training needed for their often delicate tasks.
Despite all the challenges, more than 9 in 10 call their care-giving experience worthwhile, even if they also find it stressful (77 percent), and overwhelming (52 percent).
"It's a labor of love, but it can be stressful," said
The poll of people age 40 and over who have either provided or received long-term care offers a glimpse into homes across
It highlights how long-term care remains a major unmet need for government programs and private health insurance.
The lack of training for caregivers is a shortcoming in the health system, said
"Caregivers are taken for granted and they are invisible in the system," Feder said. "It's bad for them, it's bad for care recipients, and it's bad for the system because there's evidence that if you engage them, it improves the quality of care."
According to the poll, most caregivers are also trying to hold down jobs.
Johnson said her employer has been very supportive. "There have been times when they said, 'Cheryl's got to go home,'" she said.
Nearly half of caregivers say it's moderately or very difficult to balance work and caregiving. Men are more likely to report that their employers are not at all supportive.
Some switch to part-time jobs; others say they've endured serious repercussions. Eight percent say they were excluded from job growth opportunities, 7 percent had their roles or responsibilities changed, and in rare cases, some report being fired or asked to resign. (The federal Family and Medical Leave Act only applies to larger employers.)
In
He's had to wrap and unwrap his friend's leg and change her dressings, Wollen said. Caregivers also help with medications, doing blood-pressure checks and giving injections.
Just one-third of all caregivers and fewer than half of those who provide at least one type of medical care say they have any formal training, including from a medical professional, a class on senior care, or their own professional experience.
Wollen said he learned first aid years ago in the military, and that's about it.
"I've actually improved as a human being with her, which I like," said Wollen. "I thought I knew everything, and then she starts talking, and she knows a lot," he said of his friend, who once worked in the mental health field.
Alzheimer's and other conditions that affect mental status are more stressful for caregivers, according to the poll. Seventy percent of those helping someone with a loss of mental abilities say caregiving made them feel sad, as opposed to 52 percent of those helping someone with no such loss.
Cognitive symptoms and confusion can result from heart disease, or even temporary causes such as a urinary tract infection or a medication mix-up.
Johnson, the small-town
"She'll be fine, and all of a sudden she won't be fine," said Johnson.
Experts said the poll has practical implications.
"It's very much something that you don't need to wait for the federal government on," Wilensky said. "Because this is by its nature a large, informal system, providing some help and training for caregivers would be enormously helpful."
The long-term care poll was conducted
It involved interviews in English and Spanish with 1,004 people age 40 and older nationwide who have experience either giving or receiving long term care, including 772 long-term care providers. Interviews were conducted online or by phone among members of NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the
The margin of error for caregivers is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.
Swanson is AP's director of polling.
“System and Method for Health Care Data Integration and Management” in Patent Application Approval Process (USPTO 20170270257)
Generali Global Assistance Acquires CareLinx, A Leader In National In-Home Care Solutions
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News