ABSTRACT
Family caregiving encompasses an array of issues involving the care of dependent family members, cutting across diverse perspectives. The issues on which researchers, practitioners, and policy makers have focused have ranged from concerns about the primary caregiver to questions about the effectiveness of social service programs in meeting the growing demands of family caregiving, to concerns about cost-containment or reduced government involvement when the economy is in trouble. Incorporated within the notion of a family life cycle is the idea that various events, including caregiving, could occur numerous times and at different points throughout the life cycle of the family. Programming should take into consideration the fact that at various points in the family life cycle, care needs are different, and consequently the required incentives and supports are equally diverse.
