Caregiving families within the long-term services and support system for older adults

Long-term care services and supports are primarily a family industry that warrants psychologists' involvement through practice, research, and policy advocacy. Families are poorly integrated into service systems despite the dominance of family caregiving work within health care and long-term care. This article positions family caregiving work within the context of family life across the life span, noting overlaps and distinctions between normal family life and caregiving work for older adults whose physical or cognitive challenges require assistance. The prevalence, work, and consequences of family caregiving for older adults are described. Families are identified as key partners in long-term care, despite substantial policy and practice barriers to integrating them into care structures and systems. Policy options for reducing or eliminating barriers are suggested, as are professional practice opportunities for psychologists to support caregiving families. Approaches to assessment and interventions for caregivers across a variety of settings are described. Gaps in research are highlighted, with a focus on how to understand caregiving as embedded within context of family, long-term care services and supports, and health care. Caregiving work presents an imperative for expanding psychologists' engagement in integrating and supporting the families whose caregiving is so critical to a rapidly aging society. (PsycINFO Database Record