bg
bg2

Caregivers

Caregiver

What is a Caregiver?

A Caregiver is an individual, such as a physician, nurse or social worker, who assists in the identification, prevention, or treatment of an illness or disability.

What is an Informal Caregiver?

An Informal Caregiver is an individual, such as spouse, family member, parent, friend or neighbor, who attends to the needs of a patient without receiving compensation. S.C.C.C. is an informal caregiver organization that is committed to providing care and support to Caregivers. A caregiver’s job can be overwhelming, time consuming and costly. S.C.C.C. was created with this reality in mind and seeks to ease the burden of the Caregiver, so that they can properly care for their loved one in their time of need.

What is the Role of a Caregiver?

  • Decision Maker

  • Advocate

  • Communicator

  • Hands-on Care Provider

  • Social Support

  • Provide personal care i.e., Bathe, Groom, Dress

  • Emotional Support

  • Manage Medical Problems at Home

  • Coordinate Cancer Care

SOURCE: National Cancer Institute at the National Institute of Health, American Cancer Society

Caregiver Statistics

82% of Caregivers are female
71% of Caregivers are married
61% of Caregivers have been providing care for less than six months
54% of Caregivers live with the patient for whom they are caring for
47% of Caregivers are 50 years or older
36% of Caregivers reported that caregiving required more than 40 hours of time per week

SOURCE: Center for Disease Control and Prevention

  • Approximately 1.6 million new cases of cancer are expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2014. Many patients diagnosed with cancer will eventually require support from a family caregiver. In fact, family caregivers form the foundation of the health care system in the United States, supporting advances in treatment such as multimodality treatment protocols given in outpatient and home settings. i
  • Family caregivers play an important role in the management of cancer; enlisting their cooperation and including them as the unit of care from the outset are considered critical ingredients to effective cancer management. Most oncology teams recognize this and try to include family caregivers in treatment planning, decision making, and implementation. ii
  •  65.7 million caregivers make up 29% of the U.S. adult population providing care to someone who is ill, disabled or aged.iii
  •  52 million caregivers provide care to adults (aged 18+) with a disability or illness.

i American Cancer Society
ii American Cancer Society
iii National Cancer Institute at the National Institute of Health