About Liz Seegert
Liz Seegert (@lseegert), is AHCJ’s topic leader on aging. Her work has appeared in NextAvenue.com, Journal of Active Aging, Cancer Today, Kaiser Health News and other outlets. She is a senior fellow at the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement at George Washington University and co-produces the HealthCetera podcast.
All family caregivers face struggle to provide appropriate care to their loved ones, while balancing work, other family obligations and managing stress. Latino caregivers must also overcome other barriers, including language, cultural expectations within the Hispanic community, to jobs that may not provide necessary flexibility.
According to the National Hispanic Council on Aging, one-third of Hispanic households report having at least one family caregiver (36 percent). They estimate there are at least 8.1 million Hispanic family caregivers in the U.S. Almost three-quarters (74 percent) of these caregivers are female, with an average age of 42. They provide more intensive, higher-burden caregiving, help with more activities of daily living, and more frequently live with their loved one than do their non-Hispanic, White counterparts. Yet, half (50 percent) of the caregivers rate their experiences as less stressful than do white caregivers.
Chronic diseases like diabetes affect twice as many Hispanics as non-Hispanics, especially Hispanic elders. However studies show minority caregivers tend to use substantially fewer formal support services than their non-Hispanic white counterparts. Focus groups conducted with racially and ethnically diverse caregivers found that “familism, a primary value of Latino cultures, is often cited as a motivating factor for providing care, including the expectation that extended family will assist with the care of older relatives.” Continue reading →
Liz Seegert (@lseegert), is AHCJ’s topic leader on aging. Her work has appeared in NextAvenue.com, Journal of Active Aging, Cancer Today, Kaiser Health News and other outlets. She is a senior fellow at the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement at George Washington University and co-produces the HealthCetera podcast.