Who cares for the elderly?

2 October 2012 - Carers for the elderly are more likely to be female, aged 70, facing health risks, and under financial stress a Sydney Nursing School and Sydney Medical School study has found. Results of the three-year study published today in the Australasian Journal on Ageing , involving more than 100 families, reported respite care services were not being utilised as carers often faced financial strain and had to prioritise medication requirements, equipment or other health care ahead of respite care. The study points to the increasingly negative impact caring has on carers' health, says nursing lecturer Christina Aggar. Aggar led the research team measuring the experience of carers in five areas: health, daily schedule, finance, family support and self esteem. The study found carers were most likely to be an older female, either caring for her elderly husband and or her elderly parents. Their average age was 70 years. More than 80 per cent of participants spent in excess of 20 hours a week caring for their elderly relative.