Long-distance caregivers live an average of 450 miles away, spend 392 dollars per month, almost half rearrange their work schedules.
;
In order to provide assistance for an aging loved one, long-distance caregivers miss an average of 20 hours per month of work, according to Miles Away: The MetLife Study of Long-distance Caregiving released today by the MetLife Mature Market Institute and the National Alliance for Caregiving. ;
;
The study, conducted by Zogby International, found that long-distance caregivers live an average of 450 miles and 7.2 hours away from the person for whom they provide care. ; They spend an average of $392 per month, which includes $193 on out-of-pocket expenses for caregiving and $199 per month on travel. ; More than half (51%) of those surveyed report visits at least a few times a month and almost half report they spend the equivalent of one full workday per week tending to their caregiving responsibilities. ; More than four in ten (44%) say they’ve rearranged their work schedules for caregiving. ; More than a third (36%) report missing days of work. ; Women are more likely than men to report missing work, but just as many men as women report rearranging their work schedules to provide care.
;
Despite the fact that they live more than one hour away from a care recipient, nearly a quarter (23%) of the nation’s long-distance caregivers are the primary source of assistance for an elderly friend or relative.
More than half of long-distance caregivers report that they provide care as a helper to a sibling or other caregiver. ; The sibling living closest to the parent is most often identified as the primary caregiver.
;
“The contributions made by long-distance caregivers underscore the need to recognize the role played by all caregivers in the long-term care system today,” said Sandra Timmermann, Ed.D., gerontolgist and director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute. ; “These caregivers not only overcome the distance to care for their loved ones but also juggle work and caregiving responsibilities. ; Approximately 80% are employed and almost half are changing their hours at work; a third miss days of work and 12% take leaves of absence from their jobs. ; Employers should consider the impact that long-distance caregiving has on workplace productivity and identify solutions to assist caregivers so they can do their jobs, tend to their own families and provide care for their parents.”
;
“Long-distance caregiving places an enormous strain on individuals and families, both at home and at work,” said Gail Hunt, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving. ; “There are major adjustments being made by caregivers. ; They are working extremely hard and spending an extraordinary amount of time and money. ; While it is a great challenge for them to care for their loved ones, there is good news in that we now have further proof that our fast-paced lifestyles have not changed our commitment to our older relatives.”
;
Other study findings include the following:
;
· ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Nearly three-quarters of respondents help their loved one with instrumental activities of daily living like help around the home, transportation, shopping and meal preparation.
· ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Most long-distance caregivers depend on a sibling who lives near the care recipient.
· ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Women were more likely than men to report switching from full to part-time work.
· ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Those who live the farthest from their care recipient (more than three hours away) spend an average of $674 per month on travel and direct expenses, $282 more than the average long-distance caregiver who spends $392 per month.
· ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Only 99 of the 1,130 people surveyed, less than 10%, reported paying for services for their care recipient.
· ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Paid helpers were most important to those long-distance caregivers who reported being the sole caregiver.
;
There are 34 million Americans providing care to older family members, according to the 2004 National Caregiver Survey by the National Alliance for Caregiving in collaboration with AARP, funded by the MetLife Foundation. ; Fifteen percent of those caregivers – more than five million – live more than an hour away from their relative.
;
The study, conducted during the past year, took place online. ; Zogby International, a polling and research firm, sent 79,851 e-mail invitations to individuals who had agreed to participate in online surveys. ; Of the 8,438 responses, 1,130 met the criteria for a long-distance caregiver, that of helping someone 55 or older during the past year who had “chronic physical, cognitive or mental health problems” and who lived an hour or more away. ; There is a margin of error of +/- 2.8%.
;
The MetLife Mature Market Institute is the focal point and resource center of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (“MetLife”) for issues concerning aging, retirement, long-term care and the mature market. ; The Institute, staffed by gerontologists, provides training and education, consultation and information to support MetLife, its corporate customers and business partners. ; For more information about the MetLife Mature Market Institute and copies of their studies and brochures, please visit the Web site at www.maturemarketinstitute.com.
;
The National Alliance for Caregiving is a non-profit coalition of some 40 national organizations created in 1996 to support family caregivers and the professionals who serve them. The Alliance’s founding partners are the American Society on Aging, the Department of Veterans Affairs, AARP, the National Council on the Aging, and the N4A. The Alliance was created to conduct research, do policy analysis, develop national programs and increase public awareness of family caregiving issues.
;
MetLife, a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), is a leading provider of insurance and other financial services to individual and institutional customers. ; The MetLife companies serve individuals in approximately 13 million households in the U.S. and provide benefits to 37 million employees and family members through their plan sponsors. ; Outside the U.S., the MetLife companies serve approximately 8 million customers through direct insurance operations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan and Uruguay. ; For more information about MetLife, please visit the company’s Web site at www.metlife.com.
;
