Who are the caregivers?
November 1, 2000
When an elderly person needs assistance, often family members step in to help. In fact, there are an estimated 25 million unpaid family caregivers in the US, and Congress has been asked to consider whether to give them a tax break.
According to a survey by SCAN, a California health plan, 41 percent of these seniors depend on a son or daughter, and 32 percent rely on a spouse.
These were reported to be the primary caregivers:
Spouse 32 %
Daughter 28
Son 13
Friend/neighbor 8
Other relative 7
Other 7
Sister/brother 3
Daughter-in-law 2
(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society