Originally published August 30 2005
Caring for loved ones often leads to lack of personal care, survey says
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Those of us who help care for a sick or disabled family member often have our own medical problems that go unsolved, MSN health reports.
Adults who spend time caring for a sick or disabled family member often have medical problems of their own, lack health insurance and are stressed by medical bills, according to a new survey released Wednesday.
About 16 million people -- almost 1 of 10 working-age adults -- are caring for a sick or disabled family member, according to the survey results.
And more than 9 million of these caregivers said they had health problems of their own.
"What was surprising to us were the high rates of caregivers having health problems," said survey co-author Sara Collins, a senior program officer for The Commonwealth Fund, a non-profit foundation centered on health research, which sponsored the survey.
According to Collins, "45 percent of the caregivers have one or more chronic health problems, compared to 24 percent of those who are not caregivers.
It surveyed 4,052 American adults aged 19 years and above.
Overall, the survey results showed that women represent two-thirds of all caregivers, with those between 50 and 64 years old providing the bulk of the care.
In addition, 44 percent of caregivers lived in households with incomes far below the federal poverty level, compared with one-third of non-caregivers.
The survey findings were no surprise to Donna Schempp, program director for Family Caregiver Alliance, a San Francisco-based support and service organization for family caregivers that also advocates changes in health policy to improve the situation.
"They can get covered under COBRA (the federal legislation that provides for temporary continuation of health insurance at group rates for certain employees who leave jobs) for a while," she said.
Until the policy changes are effective, caregivers who lack health insurance can seek out low-cost or free medical clinics, Schempp said.
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