ABSTRACT
Caregivers – people who care for others – contribute greatly to our society. Paid professional and paraprofessional caregivers are few compared to the large number of unpaid, informal caregivers to be found among families and friends of people requiring care. This chapter provides an overview of what is involved in paraprofessional and informal caregiving, discusses the pressures facing these groups of caregivers, and advocates for the importance of providing arts-based caring for caregiver programs. It is argued that artists helping caregivers learn to use music, story, dance, writing, or visual art to lessen their stress and enjoy life more provide a valuable service not only to the caregivers themselves, but also to our society as a whole.
