Westport, CT – August 22, 2006 – The cost of care and the related stress for those who care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease increases substantially over those who care for someone with another disabling condition, according to a new study by the MetLife Mature Market Institute® (MMI). The study reports that the dollar value of family caregiving for Alzheimer’s caregivers is 41% higher than for others and that Alzheimer’s caregivers indicate that caregiving has caused their health to worsen 45% more often than other caregivers. Additionally, Alzheimer’s caregiving requires a greater commitment of time, and spouses of Alzheimer’s caregivers more often report having left their jobs to provide care.
"The MetLife Study of Alzheimer’s Disease: The Caregiving Experience" studied more than 400 people whose care recipients were over the age of 65 and had long-term care insurance policies from which they were receiving benefits. It found the following:
• Amount and Type of Caregiving Assistance
Caregivers for those with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias provided an average of 47 hours of care per week, compared to 33 hours by caregivers for physically impaired individuals. Those with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or another dementia needed additional help with personal care tasks called Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), more help with activities such as transportation, cooking and shopping called Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) and more hours of companionship care, including supervision for safety.
• Caregiver Stress
Compared to peers caring for people with purely physical impairments, caregivers of persons with dementia experienced more stress on all measures.
• Disruption for Working Caregivers
Spouses of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia were at the highest risk of quitting work due to caregiving responsibilities —10.6% left their jobs to provide care, compared to 4% of the other caregiving spouses.
• Costs of Care
Caring in the community for someone with dementia costs 31% more overall than caring for a person with serious physical ailments. For an individual with Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder, the total average cost of services annually, considering paid and unpaid care, was $77,447, compared to $59,088 for a person with serious physical problems. The dollar value of family caregiving is 41% higher for those caring for a family member with dementia than for other caregivers with the major difference being in the category of companionship care (23% of the dollar value of family care for AD versus 17% for other caregivers). This is consistent with concerns for safety that family members of those with Alzheimer’s disease have.
• Caregiver Health
Individuals caring for a family member with dementia were 45% more likely to indicate that caregiving has caused their health to worsen.
"Caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease exacts an enormous toll," said Sandra Timmermann, Ed.D., director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute. "Of the approximately 4.5 million Americans with AD or a similar disorder, more than two-thirds live at home cared for by family and friends. That number is expected to triple by 2050 to 13.2 million. With these increasing numbers of individuals in need of long-term care, family caregivers will become an even more critical component of the long-term care delivery system in the years ahead. Having supports such as long-term care insurance and community services is important to allow caregivers to continue to care for their loved ones without neglecting their own needs. We know that workplace flexibility can ease the burden tremendously."
Claimants from eight long-term care insurance companies (representing 80% of the market) were included in the study and 92% of identified primary family caregivers for these claimants responded to questions about their experience during a telephone interview with a trained clinician. Forty-two percent of the respondents (178) were caring for an individual with AD or another dementia while 58% (245) cared for someone with serious physical problems. In both groups, just more than 50% of caregivers were spouses.
The MetLife Mature Market Institute is the company’s information and policy resource center on issues related to aging, retirement, long-term care and the mature market. The Institute, staffed by gerontologists, provides research, training and education, consultation and information to support Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, its corporate customers and business partners. MetLife, a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), is a leading provider of insurance and other financial services to individuals and institutional customers.
LifePlans, Inc., which conducted the analysis for the MetLife Mature Market Institute, is a risk management and consulting firm that provides data analysis and information to the long-term care insurance industry. The firm works with insurers, the Federal Government, industry groups and other organizations to conduct research that helps these groups monitor their business, understand industry trends, perform effective advocacy, and modify their strategic direction.
The entire report, The MetLife Study of Alzheimer’s Disease: The Caregiving Experience, can be found at: www.maturemarketinstitute.com under "What’s New."
