The cost of care and the related stress for those who care for someone with
Alzheimer’s disease increases substantially over those who care for someone with
another disabling condition, according to a new study by the MetLife Mature
Market Institute® (MMI). The study reports that the dollar value of family
caregiving for Alzheimer’s caregivers is 41% higher than for others and that
Alzheimer’s caregivers indicate that caregiving has caused their health to
worsen 45% more often than other caregivers. Additionally, Alzheimer’s
caregiving requires a greater commitment of time, and spouses of Alzheimer’s
caregivers more often report having left their jobs to provide care.
“The MetLife Study of Alzheimer’s Disease: The Caregiving Experience” studied
more than 400 people whose care recipients were over the age of 65 and had
long-term care insurance policies from which they were receiving benefits. It
found the following:
* Amount and Type of Caregiving Assistance
Caregivers for those with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias provided an
average of 47 hours of care per week, compared to 33 hours by caregivers for
physically impaired individuals. Those with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or another
dementia needed additional help with personal care tasks called Activities of
Daily Living (ADLs), more help with activities such as transportation, cooking
and shopping called Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) and more
hours of companionship care, including supervision for safety.
*
Caregiver Stress
Compared to peers caring for people with purely physical impairments, caregivers
of persons with dementia experienced more stress on all measures.
*
Disruption for Working Caregivers
Spouses of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia were at the
highest risk of quitting work due to caregiving responsibilities —10.6% left
their jobs to provide care, compared to 4% of the other caregiving spouses.
* Costs of Care
Caring in the community for someone with dementia costs 31% more overall than
caring for a person with serious physical ailments. For an individual with
Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder, the total average cost of services
annually, considering paid and unpaid care, was $77,447, compared to $59,088 for
a person with serious physical problems. The dollar value of family caregiving
is 41% higher for those caring for a family member with dementia than for other
caregivers with the major difference being in the category of companionship care
(23% of the dollar value of family care for AD versus 17% for other caregivers).
This is consistent with concerns for safety that family members of those with
Alzheimer’s disease have.
* Caregiver Health
Individuals caring for a family member with dementia were 45% more likely to
indicate that caregiving has caused their health to worsen.
“Caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease exacts an enormous toll,”
said Sandra Timmermann, Ed.D., director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute.
“Of the approximately 4.5 million Americans with AD or a similar disorder, more
than two-thirds live at home cared for by family and friends. That number is
expected to triple by 2050 to 13.2 million. With these increasing numbers of
individuals in need of long-term care, family caregivers will become an even
more critical component of the long-term care delivery system in the years ahead.
Having supports such as long-term care insurance and community services is
important to allow caregivers to continue to care for their loved ones without
neglecting their own needs. We know that workplace flexibility can ease the
burden tremendously.”
Claimants from eight long-term care insurance companies (representing 80% of the
market) were included in the study and 92% of identified primary family
caregivers for these claimants responded to questions about their experience
during a telephone interview with a trained clinician. Forty-two percent of the
respondents (178) were caring for an individual with AD or another dementia
while 58% (245) cared for someone with serious physical problems. In both
groups, just more than 50% of caregivers were spouses.
The MetLife Mature Market Institute is the company’s information and policy
resource center on issues related to aging, retirement, long-term care and the
mature market. The Institute, staffed by gerontologists, provides research,
training and education, consultation and information to support Metropolitan
Life Insurance Company, its corporate customers and business partners. MetLife,
a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), is a leading provider of insurance
and other financial services to individuals and institutional customers.
LifePlans, Inc., which conducted the analysis for the MetLife Mature Market
Institute, is a risk management and consulting firm that provides data analysis
and information to the long-term care insurance industry. The firm works with
insurers, the Federal Government, industry groups and other organizations to
conduct research that helps these groups monitor their business, understand
industry trends, perform effective advocacy, and modify their strategic
direction.
The entire report, The MetLife Study of Alzheimer’s Disease: The Caregiving
Experience, can be found at: www. maturemarketinstitute.com under “What’s New.”
CONTACTS
Debra J Caruso
DJC Communications
email: debra@djccommunications.com
phone: (212) 907-0051
Karen Eldred
MetLife
email: keldred@metlife.com
phone: (212) 578-9561
All of the above text is a press release provided by the
quoted organization. TheMatureMarket.com accepts no responsibility for their
accuracy.
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