Who Are the Caregivers? Most older persons with long-term care
needs—65%—rely exclusively on family and friends to provide
assistance.1 Another 30% will supplement family care with
assistance from paid providers.2 Care provided by family and
friends can determine whether older persons can remain at home.
In fact, 50% of the elderly who have a long-term care need but
no family available to care for them are in nursing homes, while
only 7% who have a family caregiver are in institutional
settings.3 Within our complex system of long-term care, women’s
caregiving is essential in providing a backbone of support. In
fact, the value of the informal care that women provide ranges
from $148 billion to $188 billion annually.4 Women provide the
majority of informal care to spouses, parents, parents-in-law,
friends and neighbors, and they play many roles while
caregiving—hands-on health provider, care manager, friend,
companion, surrogate decision-maker and advocate.5 Many studies
have looked at the role of women and fam