Caregivers

__Caregivers__


**According to the Alzheimer's Association (A.A.) there are two types of caregivers: unpaid caregivers and paid caregivers. ** **__Unpaid Caregivers __**
 * Unpaid caregivers are primarily family members, but they also include other relatives and friends.
 * In 2010, they provided 17 billion hours of unpaid care, a contribution to the nation valued at over $202 billion.
 * Eighty percent of care provided at home is delivered by family caregivers; fewer than 10 percent of older adults receive all of their care from paid workers.

The A.A. acknowledges, in their 2011 facts and figures publications, "that caring for a person with Alzheimer’s or another dementia is often very difficult, and many family and other unpaid caregivers experience high levels of emotional stress and depression as a result". The A.A. has found that careving may also have a negative impact on the health, employment, income, and financial security of caregivers. __**Who are the unpaid Caregivers? **__
 * Sixty percent of family caregivers and other unpaid caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are women.
 * Most caregivers are aged 55 or older.
 * Over half of the caregivers are the primary income holders of the household.
 * Fifty percent of unpaid caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias live in the same household as the person for whom they provide care.
 * Twenty-six percent of family caregivers have children under 18 years old living with them.

__**Paid Caregivers**__
 * Paid caregivers provide care to older adults, many of whom have Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
 * <span style="color: #5925ad; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Paid caregivers include direct-care workers and professionals.
 * <span style="color: #5925ad; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Direct-care workers comprise the majority of the formal healthcare delivery system for older adults and include nurse aides, home health aides and personal- and home-care aides.
 * <span style="color: #5925ad; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Professionals who receive special training in caring for older adults include physicians, physician assistants, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, case workers and others.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">According to the A.A. "direct-care workers provide most of the paid care to older adults, including assistance with bathing, dressing, housekeeping and food preparation. Their jobs may be rewarding and their performance may have direct effects on the quality of care provided, but their work is difficult, and they typically are poorly paid and receive little or no training to assume these responsibilities. Turnover rates are high, and recruitment and retention are persistent challenges."
 * <span style="color: #5925ad; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">It is projected that the United States will need an additional 3.5 million healthcare providers by 2030 just to maintain the current ratio of healthcare workers to the population.