RISK TO WOMEN GREAT, STUDIES INDICATE

The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) has found --

  • 80 percent of working caregivers reported
    emotional strain,
  • 50 percent reported financial strain, and
  • 40 percent missed work on a regular basis due to
    the health needs of an elderly loved one.

SOURCE: National Alliance for Caregiving/AARP, Family Caregiving in the U.S.: Findings from a National Survey, April 2004.

In a study commissioned by the American Health Care Association --

  • 41% of women interviewed who had been
    caretakers had been forced to quit their jobs
    or take a leave of absence [3].
  • 37% said they cut back their working hours and
    gave up space in their own homes to
    accommodate loved ones needing care [4].
  • “Women bear both financial and emotional
    burdens,” says Linda Keegan, spokesperson
    for the American Health Care Association
    (AHCA).
  • On the average, men baby boomers save
    one-third more for their retirement than do
    women.
  • More than one-third of all women expect to be
    caregivers for a family member. Forty-eight
    percent expect to provide care for their
    husband, and 86 percent -- almost twice as many
    -- expects to provide care for a parent or other
    in-law [5].

SOURCE: [3] AARP Public Policy Institute Study: Valuing the Invaluable: A New Look at the Economic Value of Family Caregiving (2007)
[4] Working Caregivers: Issues, Challenges, And Opportunities For The Aging Network, Margaret B. Neal, Ph.D. Portland State University and Donna L. Wagner, Ph.D. Towson University
[5] Survey finds boomers headed for financial disaster in golden years, American Health Care Association, (April 1999)

A study conducted by the Medicaid department of the State of New York (corroborated by other studies) revealed that --

  • 70% of nursing home admissions are women [1],
  • The average admission age of these women
    is 80 [1],
  • At that advanced age, most of these women
    are single [1],
  • Compared to men, women are confined 50
    percent longer [2].

SOURCE: [1] AARP Public Policy Institute: Women & Long-Term Care (2007)
[2] U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services: National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information, (10/22/08)

Various other studies, conducted by U.S. agencies and private organizations, have found that --

  • Three out of four nursing facility residents are
    women (Health Care Financing Administration),
  • Nearly half of all female nursing facility residents
    rely on Medicaid for their long term care services
    (Health Care Financing Administration),
  • Of the elderly poor, nearly 75 percent are women
    (U.S. Department of Labor),
  • Seven out of ten family caregivers are
    women (mostly wives and adult daughters)
    (1997 National Alliance for Caregiving/AARP
    survey).

These facts are drawn from the special report, WOMEN AND LONG TERM CARE -- A DECADE OF REPORTS.

CLICK HERE to download a free copy. The report lists numberous sources of additional information, ranging from the U.S. Census Bureau to the National Center for Health Statistics.