More on Caregiving

A couple of recent articles are worth mentioning.  First, the New York Times ran an article about millennial caregivers, For Millennials Making Their Way, a Detour: To Caregiving.

For baby boomers who fretted about every aspect of their children’s lives, here’s another worry for the list: Their children may become their caregivers while also handling the pressures of young adulthood. One-fourth of the 40 million caregivers in the United States are millennials, ranging from their early 20s to late 30s, according to a report by the AARP Public Policy Institute.

These caregivers are members of what an expert on aging ,.. calls the panini generation: “They are feeling the heat, and they are feeling pressed.”

As the article notes, for millennial caregivers the timing comes at the beginning of their careers, rather than in their late middle age or older, as it has for previous generations. Think about the financial implications for the millennials, not only for the present, but also for their futures. A look at some statistics helps crystallize the issues.

A change in family structure is one reason for the large number of millennial caregivers.... “Boomers had their kids at a later stage of their life than their own parents, and they had fewer children to provide the care....”

Also, many boomers are divorced and single, leaving caregiving to their children rather than to a spouse....And those younger caregivers are more likely than older caregivers to be men, according to a SCAN-financed poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Younger caregivers spend an average of 21 hours a week on those tasks, usually for a parent, grandparent or close friend, according to AARP. And more than half perform such difficult jobs as helping someone bathe or use the toilet and preparing injections.

Next, frequent contributor and reader of this blog, Professor Naomi Cahn, provided me with a link to a caregiving article she recently had published. Thanksgiving for Caregiving provides some data about caregivers and those who need care, and then offers some tips for caregivers on work/life/caregiving balance.