Caregiving Facts

The increasing number of individuals that require assistive care, continued rising costs for care, and the impact they have on care providers and the healthcare system is profound.

Consider these facts:

Size of need

• 8.5 million seniors require some form of assistive care; growing to 21 million over the next 20 years
• 5.5 million veterans have some type of disability
• 4.2 million children are afflicted by childhood diseases like autism

Care costs

• Out-of-pocket care costs for family caregivers range from $5,000-$15,000 per year
• Autism care and support for one child costs more than $50,000 annually and lifetime costs range from $3.5 to $5 million
• Alzheimer’s Disease care and support for one individual ranges from $18,500-$36,000
• Nursing home care costs $70,000-80,000 annually, assisted living communities cost $36,000, and home care averages $60 per day
• Annual loss to employers of working family care givers is $33 billion ($2,100 per employee) for absenteeism, workplace disruptions, and reduced work status

Caregiver gap

• 120,000 nurses shortage; expected to increase to 340,000 nurses and 159,300 doctors by 2025
• 91% of nursing homes are understaffed
• 65.7 million family caregivers (31% of U.S. households); however, the number of potential family caregivers for each person is decreasing

Social factors

80% of those over 65 are living with at least one chronic disease, including conditions like Alzheimer’s Disease and stroke that impact cognitive and mobility function

Life expectancy is increasing; the number of seniors aged 85 and older, is projected to triple or quadruple

89% of seniors prefer to live independently and to age-in-place

86% of U.S. caregivers provide care for a relative, most often a parent (36%). Seven in ten caregivers care for someone over age 50. One in seven caregivers provides care, over and above regular parenting, to a child with special needs (14%)