ABSTRACT
A comparison of informal caregiver prevalence rates in 2015 and 2020 confirms that adults continue to step up and provide care to family and friends 50 years of age and older when it is needed. An average of 24 hours of care is provided weekly by American caregivers, and 61% hold down jobs in addition to their caregiving responsibilities. Current research strongly suggests that the special challenges faced by rural caregivers remain present and may even be increasing. For example, rural caregivers report providing help more frequently with medical and nursing tasks than their urban counterparts. It is also concerning that rural caregivers, more recently, are reporting having decreasing numbers of conversations with care providers about their own needs, including especially those who are primary, lower-income, and less educated caregivers. Caregivers of the chronically ill and physically isolated older adults may be at particular risk of becoming socially isolated.
