"Powerful Tools for Caregivers": Teaching Skills That Reduce Stress and Increase Self-Confidence

Caring for an older adult can be a full time job that sometimes results in increased stress and caregiver burden. With the growth of the older population, especially those ages 85 and above, and the incidence and prevalence of chronic disease and illness in old age, informal caregivers are becoming a more valuable, even essential, resource. Changes in health care policies, rules, and reimbursement procedures have shifted more of the care responsibility for elders from the formal to the informal (family and friends) system. Family caregiving is valued at $257 billion annually, more than twice the spending on institutional and home care combined. About four in five (78%) adults receiving long-term care at home rely entirely on family and friends; only 8% rely entirely on formal services. Care recipients ages 50 and above are found in more than 22.4 million American homes (Feinberg & Newman, 2004; Sawatzky & Fowler Kerry, 2003).