title: Framing the public health of caregiving.
abstract: Caregiving has only recently been acknowledged by the nation as an important topic for millions of Americans. A psychological or sociological approach to care-giving services has been most often applied, with little attention to the population-based public health outcomes of caregivers. We conceptualize caregiving as an emerging public health issue involving complex and fluctuating roles. We contend that caregiving must be considered in the context of life span needs that vary according to the ages, developmental levels, mental health needs, and physical health demands of both caregivers and care recipients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, E-88, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. rtalley@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Ronda C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Talley
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Crews
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003710:Demography; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008017:Life Expectancy / Q000639:trends; D017146:Models, Organizational; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011634:Public Health; D011635:Public Health Administration; D011788:Quality of Life; D035521:Supreme Court Decisions; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health