The experiences and challenges of informal caregivers: common themes and differences among whites, blacks, and...

This study examined commonalities and differences in the experiences and challenges of White, Black, and Hispanic informal caregivers in New York, NY.

A randomly selected representative cross-section of 2,241 households was contacted through telephone interviews. Complete data were available for 380 eligible participants, who were classified as White (n = 164), Black (n = 129) and Hispanic (n = 87). Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine differences in caregiving intensity, reported difficulty with providing care, and having unmet needs with care provision.

Over 70% of caregivers had no help from formal caregivers, even though over 80% had been providing care for at least 1 year, and 40% had been providing this care for 20 or more hr per week. Compared with White caregivers, Black caregivers were more likely to provide higher intensity care, to report having unmet needs with care provision, and to experience increased religiosity since becoming caregivers, but were less likely to report difficulty with providing care. Hispanic caregivers were more likely than White caregivers to have help from formal caregivers and to experience increased religiosity since becoming caregivers.

Although many similarities exist in the experiences and challenges of informal caregivers, gaining insight from different populations of family caregivers would help program planners, policy makers, and formal caregivers to develop and implement culturally sensitive programs and policies that are supportive of the needs of these caregivers in their ever-expanding roles. Future efforts also should focus on exploring the potentially significant role that community resources, in particular, religious institutions, could play in providing outreach and support to racial/ethnic minority caregivers.