In The Family: Caretaker Health

I’m Daleep Singh, a sophomore studying Molecular Environmental Biology. A large part of my
life has been devoted to functioning as a caretaker for my grandfather, who has been unable to
care for himself for the last ten years.

It is important to recognize that the rate of diseases and disorders that require long-term,
hands-on care is only set to rise. In the US, 17 percent of those over 65 will be hospitalized at
least once during the year, double the rate of those 15-64. Older adults ALSO need more
support after their stays in treatment, as nearly 70 percent of the time require some form of
post-hospital care following discharge, compared with middle-aged (45 to 64 years) adults who
receive post-acute care only 23 percent of the time. Geriatrics-related graduate medical
education programs have grown by just 1.1% when adjusting for population growth, which
means that qualified geriatric care is hard to come by. Thus, for many of those in the South
Asian population at large, Caretakers typically come from in the family.

The Role of a Caretaker
Caretakers/givers usually need to constantly be in contact/aware of their charge. Oftentimes,
they may require a strict feeding, medicine, or sleep schedule that can come in conflict with the
caretaker’s schedule. It is a very demanding role, essentially an unpaid second job, which
means that it is crucial for a caretaker to take on a good work-life balance.

Dangers of Caregiving
If not, it can impact education, the caregiver’s job, and create a damaging sense of
over-responsibility that comes at the expense of their own wellbeing. Many caregivers report a
negative quality of life while caregiving, and in the South Asian population, these caregivers are disproportionately women. This is due to a confluence of factors; lower social strata,
culturally-held misogyny, or thoughts that men should be the main breadwinner in a nuclear
family unit. These caregivers are often younger as well, meaning that this can stunt their growth
during some of the most definitive years of their life.

What Can We Do?
For these most crucial jobs that are only going to be in greater need as the population ages, it is
important to recognize that caregivers need support as well. Sharing the load, offering financial
support, or looking to qualified forms of assistance such as in-home pro-care may all be
worthwhile efforts.