More Men, Adult Children Are Caregivers, Study Finds

As our elder population changes, their caregivers are changing as well. A new study by the Center on an Aging Society at Georgetown University compares caregivers in 1999 to caregivers in 1989 and found that a decline in disability and mortality rates over the 10-year period led to changes in caregivers. More people are living longer and are older when they require a caregiver. The study looked at “informal caregivers,” which it defined as “primary, unpaid helpers of people age 65 or older who need assistance with basic everyday activities.”

The study found that the overall number of caregivers has increased by 6 percent and there was an increase in the number of adult children caregivers. In 1989, 40 percent of caregivers were spouses and 36 percent were adult children. In 1999, 41 percent were spouses and 44 percent were adult children. In addition, the age of the caregivers increased slightly from 60.3 years of age to 62.7 years of age. The number of caregivers between the age of 45 and 64 also increased from 35 percent to 40 percent while the number under age 45 decreased from 16 percent to 13 percent.

Another significant change has been an increase in the number of men providing care. Overall, more women than men are caregivers; however, the proportion of male caregivers increased from 26 percent to 31 percent. In 1989, 74 percent of caregivers were women while in 1999, the percentage of female caregivers decreased to 64 percent. According to the Center, the reasons for this change may be because men are living longer, more women are participating in the workplace, and the composition of families and gender roles are changing.

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