Caregivers

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Women
• Older Adults
• Patient Handouts

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

Start Here

• 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)
• 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)
• Making Choices about Everyday Care (for Families) (Family Caregiver Alliance)
• So Far Away: Twenty Questions for Long-Distance Caregivers (National Institute on Aging)
• 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)

• Article: Understanding the Importance of the Caregiver in the Alzheimer's Patient's Plan...
• Article: Caring for the carer: quality of life and burden of female...
• Article: Patient safety incidents identified by the caregivers of hospitalized children.
• Caregivers -- see more articles
• -- see more articles

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) Also in Spanish
• 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