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Summary
Caregivers provide help to another person in need. The person receiving care may be an adult - often a parent or a spouse - or a child with special medical needs. Some caregivers are family members. Others are paid. They do many things:
- Shop for food and cook
- Clean the house
- Pay bills
- Give medicine
- Help the person go to the toilet, bathe and dress
- Help the person eat
- Provide company and emotional support
Caregiving is hard, and caregivers of chronically ill people often feel stress. They are "on call" 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you're caring for someone with mental problems like Alzheimer's disease it can be especially difficult. Support groups can help.
Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health
- Caregiver Health and Wellness (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
- Caregiver Stress (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
-
Caregivers and Exercise -- Take Time for Yourself
(National Institute on Aging)
- Caregivers and Serious Illness (Administration for Community Living) - PDF
-
Caring for the Caregiver
(National Cancer Institute)
Also in Spanish
- Coping Checklist for Caregivers (American Cancer Society)
-
Coping with Caregiving: Take Care of Yourself While Caring for Others
(National Institutes of Health)
-
Help for the Caregiver
(National Cancer Institute)
- Respite Care
-
Support for Caregivers of Cancer Patients
(National Cancer Institute)
Also in Spanish
- Taking Care of You: Self-Care for Family Caregivers (Family Caregiver Alliance)
-
What Is Caregiver Burnout?
(American Heart Association)
- PDF
Related Issues
- Adult Day Care
- Alternatives to Nursing Homes (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) Also in Spanish
- Busy Parents and Caregivers Must Care for Themselves (American Heart Association)
- Caregiving and Sibling Relationships: Challenges and Opportunities (Family Caregiver Alliance)
- Caregiving at Home: A Guide to Community Resources (Family Caregiver Alliance)
- Caring for Siblings of Kids With Special Needs (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Emergency Readiness for Older Adults and People with Disabilities
- Face the Facts
-
Getting Started with Long-Distance Caregiving
(National Institute on Aging)
- Guidelines for Better Communication with Brain Impaired Adults (Family Caregiver Alliance)
- Hands-On Skills for Caregivers (Family Caregiver Alliance)
- Hot Weather Tips (Family Caregiver Alliance)
- How to Assemble a Caregiving Team (Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation)
- Improving Doctor/Caregiver Communication (Caregiver Action Network) - PDF
- LGBT Caregiving: Frequently Asked Questions (Family Caregiver Alliance)
-
Long-Distance Caregiving -- A Family Affair
(National Institute on Aging)
-
Long-Distance Caregiving: Twenty Questions and Answers
(National Institute on Aging)
- PDF
- VA Caregiver Support (Veterans Health Administration)
-
What Are the Caregiver's Rights?
(American Heart Association)
- PDF
- What If I Don't Want to Be the Caregiver? (American Cancer Society)
Specifics
- Brushing: Information for Caregivers (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Caring for a Person Who Has Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
- Caring for the Elderly: Dealing with Resistance (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
-
Dental Care Every Day: A Caregiver's Guide
(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)
- Dry Mouth and Older Adults: Information for Caregivers (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Families with Special Needs: Caregiving Tips (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Family Caregivers and Transportation: A Few Survival Tips (Healthy Living Tips) (Administration for Community Living) - PDF
-
Family Caregivers in Cancer (PDQ)
(National Cancer Institute)
Also in Spanish
- Finding Low-Cost Dental Care: Information for Caregivers (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Flossing: Information for Caregivers (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Guide for Caregivers (National Multiple Sclerosis Society) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Hospital Discharge Planning: A Guide for Families and Caregivers (Family Caregiver Alliance)
- MDA Guide for Caregivers (Muscular Dystrophy Association) - PDF
Statistics and Research
- Caregiver Statistics: Demographics (Family Caregiver Alliance)
- Caregiving Statistics (Caregiver Action Network)
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Caregivers
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
- AAAs (Area Agencies on Aging) & Title VI Aging Programs (National Association of Area Agencies on Aging)
- Caregiver Action Network
- Family Care Navigator: State-by-State Help for Family Caregivers (Family Caregiver Alliance)
-
National Institute on Aging
Also in Spanish
Children
- Caring for a Seriously Ill Child (Nemours Foundation)
- Managing Home Health Care (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Taking Care of You: Support for Caregivers (Nemours Foundation)
Women
- Women and Caregiving: Facts and Figures (Family Caregiver Alliance)
Older Adults
- Caregiver Guide: Helping With Recovery From Illness (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)
- Caregivers' Guide to Medications and Aging (Family Caregiver Alliance)
- Community-Based Care (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)
- Eldercare at Home: Caregiver Health (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)
- Home Care (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)
Patient Handouts
- Bathing a patient in bed (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Caregiving - resources - older adults (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Moving a patient from bed to a wheelchair (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Pulling a patient up in bed (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Turning patients over in bed (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish