49% Of Long-Term Care Recipients Require Family Caregiver Help In ‘Most’ Aspects Of Daily Living

About half (49%) of people receiving long-term care assistance from a family caregiver in 2021 need help with “most aspects of daily living.” About 8% need only minor assistance. In 2021, about 47% of care recipients had age-related physical limitations, 23% had accidents requiring rehabilitation, and 32% had cognitive impairments.

In 2018, about 39% of care recipients needed assistance with most aspects of daily living and 12% needed only minor assistance. The average duration of a caregiver event (as reported by survey participants) has increased from three years in 2018 to 3.5 years in 2021. In 2021, about 22% of care events lasted less than one year, 17% lasted one year, but less than two years, 15% lasted two years but less than three years, and 14% lasted three years, but less than four years. About 46% of care events lasted three or more years. About 10% of care events lasted more than eight years.

Family caregivers provided an average of 19 hours per week of care for the recipient. About 37% provided more than 21 hours of care per week, with 25% providing more than 30 hours per week. In 2021, caregivers provided the following types of help to their care recipients:

• 71% assisted with activities of daily living
• 63% provided physical care
• 60% provided medication management/administration
• 57% provided companionship
• 53% made decisions regarding the scope of care provided
• 52% coordinated services delivered by other care providers
• 39% provided financial assistance

The location where the family caregiver assisted differed depending on whether the care recipient owned a long-term care insurance (LTCI) plan. LTCI owners were more likely than those without LTCI to move to an assisted living facility at 25% to 11%. About 43% of family caregivers for someone without LTCI provided physical care/assistance in the recipient’s home, compared to 35% of caregivers for LTCI owners. LTCI owners were more likely to receive physical care/assistance from a health care professional, at 28% compared to 24% for LTCI-non-owners.

Family caregivers reported that the financial and health burden of caring for a family member is increasing. About 54% reported reducing contributions to savings/retirement funds; in 2018, 42% reported this impact. About 50% reported spending funds intended to be given as an inheritance; in 2018, 38% reported this impact. About 43% sold personal possessions to alleviate the financial burden, up from 35% in 2018. About 41% in 2021 cashed out a life insurance policy, compared to 26% in 2018.

About 59% of female caregivers and 43% of male caregivers reported that caregiving negatively affected their own health. About 48% of in-home caregivers reported symptoms of stress, 46% reported less time to spend on themselves or others and 42% reported being in a negative mood. A significant share reported experiencing sleep deprivation, insomnia, a sense of isolation, guilt and/or weight gain as a result of providing care.

These findings were reported in Genworth’s “Beyond Dollars Study 2021: COVID-19 Pandemic Edition.” This study has been conducted every three years since 2010. The analysis is based on responses of 1,325 participants (out of 4,695) qualified to participate based on their situations and experience. The qualified participants included 963 people providing long term care to loved ones (caregivers), 299 care recipients, and 63 family members with detailed knowledge of a long-term care event in their family (but not responsible for providing care). About 40% of caregivers were caring for a parent, step-parent, or parent in-law. About 46% were caring for a spouse. About 3% were caring for a grandparent, and 8% were providing long-term care for a sibling or child.

The full text of “Genworth’s Caregiving in COVID-19 Beyond Dollars Study 2021” was published October 27, 2021. A copy is available online at https://pro.genworth.com/riiproweb/productinfo/pdf/682801BRO.pdf.

For more information, contact:

• Danielle Bolt, Senior Communications Manager, Genworth, 6620 W Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23230; 804-539-3215; Email: Danielle.Bolt@Genworth.com; Website: https://www.genworth.com/