Complexity in caregiving: characterizing non-dyadic caregiver and care-receiver relationships and their association with health-service use

Project Summary

Most people would prefer to stay in their own homes as they age. In response, many regions offer options for home care and similar programs. Having a family or friend caregiver is critical to making such programs work but most of the time caregiving is described as a dyad – one person who provides care (caregiver) and one person who receives care (care receiver). We know that this is not always the case, including situations where multiple people provide care to one person and where one person is both a caregiver and care receiver. We will describe how frequently such non-dyadic care relationships occur, describe caregiver and care receiver characteristics, their relationship, and the kinds of care provided, and describe how this relates to health care use. Because caregiving is gendered, we will consider how our findings differ for men and women. This research will help to improve caregiver support.