The price paid by caregivers is significant. The National Long Term Care Survey (1994) and other research have documented that:

• Caregivers dedicate on average 20 hours per week to the provision of care for older persons and even more time when the older person has multiple disabilities.

• Caring for an older person with disabilities can be physically demanding, particularly for older caregivers who make up half of all caregivers. One-third of all caregivers describe their own health as fair to poor.

• Because caregiving is such an emotionally draining experience, caregivers have a high rate of depression when compared to the general population.

• Almost one-third of all caregivers is balancing employment and caregiving responsibilities, and of this group, two-thirds report conflicts in roles that require them to rearrange their work schedules, work fewer than normal hours, and/or take unpaid leaves of absence.