According to the United States Bureau of the Census, as of 1995 there were at least 54 million people who were 55 years old or older and 33.5 million of those were over 65 years old (Mathur & Moschis, 1999). According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, more than 22 million homes in the United States has a family member or friend over the age of 50 years living as dependents in those homes. These numbers are likely to balloon by 2011 when the first wave of baby boomers reaches the age of 65 (Gerbman, 2000). A more recent survey conducted by AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) focussed on the quality of life of those who care for their aged family members. The survey specifically targeted the ôSandwich Generationö, those who are caring for both the elderly in their family as well as their own children (Baron, 2001). According to the survey, while most of those interviewed enjoyed the caregiving process, they also admitted to a certain amount of stress and financial hardship that accompanied their roles (Baron, 2001). This paper will examine the effects, such as stress and financial hardship, and the significance of those effects, that caring for an elderly family member has on the family in general and the caregivers in particular.
While many men provide informal care to their elders, traditionally, women have functioned as the caregivers when elderly parents or other family members were in need of assistance. Research has also shown that men are more likely to help with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ACDL), such as grocery shopping, writing checks, and mowing the lawn. Alternately, women tend to assist their elders by providing Activities of Daily Living (ADL), such as bathing, dressing, or feeding. Thus, women are more likely to be providing the more arduous and physically draining tasks when caring for their family members. Additionally, women have been shown to spend almost twice as much tim...