Reference no: EM132542365

Caregiving in America primarily consists of informal and family caregiving. The direct and indirect costs of this "shadow workforce" have an impact on the caregivers as well as the care recipients. The economic value contributed by informal/family caregivers is estimated to be $480 billion - far more than the total expenditures for formal services and more than the annual revenue of some of America's largest companies. This contributes to caregiver burden and does not address the caregiver's access to services, which can result in serious consequences to the caregiver as well as the care recipient.

Module Objectives: At the end of this module, the student will be able to:

Question 1. Identify the kinds of family/informal caregiving that exists in communities

Question 1b. Discuss the benefits and costs of caregiving

Question 2. Review services and supports for caregivers as well as future service and program directions

Question 3. Discuss caregiver burden, its consequences, and the approaches to relieve it

Question 4. Define direct care workers and their most common characteristics