Learn more about CFSS in Minnesota
With Mother’s Day this past weekend, all of us at Best Home Care wanted to take a moment to acknowledge every female caregiver out there. According to the Family Caregiving Alliance, women account for 66% of all caregivers in the United States. This number has grown steadily as baby-boomers reach retirement age and require in-home supportive services, typically given by their daughters.
In the US, the average caregiver is a 49-year-old woman who is married, employed, and cares for her 70-year-old mother. While there are many men that work as personal care assistants or provide home care for a family member, women spend much more time providing personal care services. On average, a female caregiver spends nearly 50% more time providing at-home care than her male counterpart.
This increase in time spent caregiving will often test her formal employment responsibilities. In fact, caring for a family member will reduce a middle-aged woman’s paid work hours by nearly 41%. This decrease in paid hours results in an average loss of $324,044 in wages and Social Security benefits.
Lost money isn’t the only negative affect of caring for a family member. A study was done to shed light on how providing home care for a family member affected a caregiver’s ability to advance in his or her career. Of the 1,509 women surveyed:
At Best Home Care, we understand these extra struggles that female personal care assistants face. Your work is very vitally important and life changing for those you care for and we seek to help you in any way we can.
Best Home Care provides free caregiver resources for PCAs, including specific support for those suffering from caregiver burnout and stress. Our new white paper is another great resource for caregivers looking for ways to get paid for taking care of a family member. Contact Best Home Care to learn more about how we can help manage your home care services.
