What is Caregiving and Who are Caregivers?
Caregivers are individuals who provide care to chronically ill or disabled family members or friends. It is estimated that more than one quarter of the adult population, or more than fifty million people, have been caregivers. Men now make up 44% of the caregiving population; and family caregivers provide, for “free”, an estimated $257 billion per year in services. The role of caregivers is expected to increase as the population ages; however, the number of individuals available for caregiving will diminish. Effective Caregivers • Serve as advocates for their patient • Understand the patient’s needs to socialize • Become familiar with insurance and financial matters Helping someone go through a cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery requires understanding, encouragement, patience and energy. Caregivers become part advocate, nurse, organizer and financial analyst in addition to maintaining their other responsibilities. Caring for someone with a life-threatening disease can be emotion
