A national profile of primary and secondary household caregivers: estimates from the 1992 and 1993 surveys on income and program participation.
According to the 1992 and 1993 Surveys of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), an estimated 4,538,000 adults in the U.S. serve as primary assistants for one or more household members with disabilities. Another 530,000 serve as secondary assistants. Spouses are the main source of primary ADL and IADL assistance, while adult children and other family members are the main source of secondary assistance. Primary household assistants tend to be older and female, while secondary assistants tend to be younger and male. Primary assistants are more likely than the general adult population to rate their health as fair or poor, describe themselves as work disabled, and be limited in or need assistance with ADLs. Secondary assistants report slightly higher rates of work disability than the general population, but similar rates of ADL limitation and health status. Both assistance groups are more likely than the general adult population to have annual family incomes which fall below the federal poverty line, and working-age (aged 18-64) assistants are much less likely to work full time.
Kennedy
J
J
Department of Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. jjkenned@uiuc.edu
Walls
C
C
Owens-Nicholson
D
D
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000145:classification / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003625:Data Collection; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000458:organization & administration; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce