Overview

How can public policy support the growing population providing unpaid care to people with disabilities, older people, or people with dementia, and what are the policy implications of the growing need for caregivers? This book presents a variety of perspectives on this topic, ranging from policies enabling caregivers to remain in the workforce to the impact of caregiving support on the utilization of healthcare and other services. More and more people across the globe are becoming family caregivers: they are providing unpaid care to a loved one who is perhaps chronically ill, has a disability, or has dementia. This responsibility can affect the health and wellbeing of not only the person receiving care, but also the caregiver. While the physical, emotional, and financial consequences of caregiving are receiving growing attention, less attention is paid to the policies that aim to mitigate those impacts, as well as the broader policy implications of this increasing population of caregivers. This volume was inspired by the need to highlight this growing body of research, addressing topics that range from strategies enabling caregivers to remain in the workforce to the impact of caregiving support on the utilization of healthcare and other services. Given the important role that family caregivers play in improving the lives of people needing care, it is critical that the policies that impact their ability to do so be understood and examined.This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy.