Care for Elderly and Disabled Family Members
The Adult Labor database examines information concerning elder care and care for disabled family members for 190 countries. For more information, please read on, or use the buttons above to begin your analyses.
The global population aged eighty or over-the age group likely to require the most care-is projected to grow rapidly, increasing from 88 million in 2005 to 402 million in 2050. While families continue to perform the bulk of caregiving for elderly and disabled family members in developing and industrialized nations, the base of available caregivers not working for pay is shrinking as more women worldwide work full-time. Without workplace supports that enable working adults to fulfill their caregiving responsibilities, the health and welfare of their older family members is at risk. Research has consistently indicated that adults with more support from family and friends live longer, have better outcomes from heart attacks and strokes, and experience better treatment outcomes for mental illness and other conditions. Flexible scheduling, part-time parity, and leave policies are the main workplace resources available to employees with adult caregiving responsibilities. When demands for care are high, workplace supports low, and working conditions poor, caregivers experience higher rates of conditions such as heart disease and depression. To add, in the absence of flexibility and paid leave, caregiving responsibilities can result in wage and job loss.
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