According to the landmark report Chronic Care in America published by the Institute for Health and Aging at the University of California, San Francisco, more than half of all adult Americans have a chronic condition. Of these, as many as 412 million are limited in their daily activities and, therefore, likely to need some assistance from family members or friends. Moreover, another 12 million who are unable to live independently require ongoing care either through family caregivers or an institutional setting.

Besides these general statistics, what is known about the people who are most likely to be the recipients of family caregiving? The following provides more in-depth information.

Care Recipients By Age and Gender

Recent research on family caregiving provides this profile of today's care recipient:

• 65 percent of care recipients are female; 35 percent are male¹
• 20 percent are between 18 and 49 years of age¹
• 80 percent are aged 50 and over¹
• The average age is 77 years old²

¹National Association for Family Caregivers, compilation.

²National Alliance for Caregiving with AARP and MetLife, 2004.

Care Recipients' Needs

In many situations, care recipients suffer from more than one medical problem, thereby increasing their need for family caregiving. According to recent research:

• 32 percent of people with serious chronic conditions see four or more physicians a year³
• Medicare beneficiaries with five or more conditions see an average of 14 different physicians a year³
• 95 percent of care recipients are on prescription medicine⁴
• 50 percent of ailing seniors without a family caregiver move to a nursing home, compared to only 7 percent tended by a family member⁴

³National Family Caregivers Association.

⁴2004, Mary Mittelman, DPH, New York University.

Study spent two years following 158 caregivers in U.S., U.K., and Australia.

Care Recipient Conditions (As Reported by Caregivers)

Based on a 2004 survey, the following are the most frequent conditions affecting a disabled, infirm or elderly adult requiring assistance from a family caregiver:

Base: 510 caregivers; TNS NFO 2004, commissioned by McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals. Q14: Please Indicate Which of the Following the Person you are Taking Care of Suffers From. Base: total returns.