Caregivers' unmet needs for support in caring for functionally impaired elderly persons: A community sample

Few estimates have been made of the extent to which the needs of caregivers are met. In addition to the inadequate capacity of services, many caregive rs lack adequate financial resources, social resources, or of her means to access them. Caregivers who provide services to minority or poor elderly ma y be particularly needy since their care receivers tend to be less healthy and are less likely to use institutional facilities. To address this issue, the authors studied a community sample of 124 caregivers who identified co rrelates of their perceived unmet caregiver needs and their use of supporti ve services available for their caregiving. Results indicated that 51.8 per cent of women and 67.4 percent of men reported needs for one or more commun ity services that were not met. It was concluded that caregivers who are po or or who required financial assistance are at the highest risk for needing assistance while providing caregiving services. Community services may mor e effectively target potential needs of caregivers through routine screenin gs.