The Silent Service: Identifying Under-Recognized Young Military Caregivers.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Caregiver Support

Background:

• Family caregivers are crucial for Veterans' health and reducing institutional care.
• Young caregivers (<25 years) in Veteran families may face greater social needs.
• Understanding the impact of young caregivers on unmet functional needs is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between caregiving network type (no caregiver, young caregiver, older caregiver) and unmet functional needs in Veterans.
• To identify specific social and functional needs associated with the presence of young caregivers.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of a large-scale caregiving survey (N=4,744) of Veterans with functional limitations.
• Classified Veterans by caregiving network: no caregiver, young caregiver (<25 years), or older caregiver (≥25 years).
• Used logistic regression models adjusted for demographic, clinical, and functional characteristics to assess unmet activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) needs.

Main Results:

• Veterans with young caregivers reported significantly higher odds of unmet ADL needs compared to those with only older caregivers.
• Veterans with young caregivers were more likely to experience low health literacy, food insecurity, and transportation problems.
• No caregiver association with lower unmet ADL/IADL needs compared to older caregivers; young caregivers not significantly associated with unmet IADL needs.

Conclusions:

• The presence of young caregivers (<25 years) in a Veteran's network is associated with increased unmet ADL needs and social risks.
• Veterans with young caregivers may require enhanced support for health literacy, nutrition, transportation, and social connectedness.
• Distinguishing caregiving arrangements with young caregivers is essential for tailoring support services to aging Veterans and their families.