Family caregivers face financial burdens, isolation and limited resources

& Family caregivers may be less likely to turn to others when they need their own support. Terry Vine/DigitalVision via Getty Images & − a social worker explains how to improve quality of life for this growing population by Kathy L. Lee, University of Texas at Arlington Millions of Americans have become informal family caregivers: people who provide family members or friends with unpaid assistance in accomplishing daily tasks such as bathing, eating, transportation and managing medications. Driven in part by a preference for home-based care rather than long-term care options such as assisted living facilities, and the limited availability and high cost of formal care services, family caregivers play a pivotal role in the safety and well-being of their loved ones. Approximately 34.2 million people in the United States provide unpaid assistance to adults age 50 or above, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance. Among them, about 15.7 million adult family caregivers care for someone with dementia. I am a licensed clinical social worker and an assistant professor of social work studying disparities in health and health care systems. I focus on underrepresented populations in the field of aging. Challenges for family caregivers In my research focusing on East...