More than 1 in 4 people age 50 and older helps take care of at least one family member or friend who has a health issue or disability, a new poll finds.
And among those caregivers, the new results from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging reveal a lot about who they are and who they’re caring for.
In all, 30% of all people in their 50s and early 60s provide care to at least one person with a health issue or disability, compared with 23% of people over 65. And 1 in 10 caregivers in their 50s and early 60s are juggling taking care of three or more people.
In addition to differences by age, there was also a gender divide: 32% of women age 50 and over act as caregivers to someone with a health issue or a disability, compared with 22% of men in this age group.
The poll also reveals more about who caregivers age 50 and older are caring for.
In all, 23% of caregivers are caring for an adult or child with an intellectual or developmental disability, and 66% are caring for a person age 65 or older.
The most common health issue or disability that caregivers help their friends or family with was a physical disability or mobility challenge, at 59%. The next most common was memory or thinking issues, at 42%, followed by vision or hearing impairments at 28%, and mental health concerns at 22%. Beyond these specific types of issues, 40% of caregivers said they care for someone with another condition. Caregivers could choose all conditions that apply to all the people they care for.
The poll asked all respondents who they think should take the lead when it comes to covering the cost of caregiving for people over age 65. In all, 45% of people 50 and older feel the government should take the lead, while 27% believe it should be the person receiving care, 18% think it should be family or friends, and 10% said it should be other sources.
However, caregivers were more likely to think the government should take the lead in covering the cost of caregiving for older adults (51%) than those who do not provide regular care to a person with a health issue or disability (42%).
The same was true for those in the lower end of the poll’s age range: 48% of people in their 50s and early 60s feel the government should take the lead in paying for caregiving of older adults, compared with 41% of people over 65.
The gender divide on this issue was slightly larger at 49% of women vs. 41% of men, while Black respondents were much more likely than others to support this view, at 63% vs. percentages in the low 40s for other racial groups.
