OLDER caregivers

• Current caregivers had less health satisfaction than never caregivers. • Former caregivers experienced better well-being than current caregivers. • There were no differences in depression scores amongst caregiver types. • Income is an important contributor to health outcomes across caregiver types. Older adults with physical and/or cognitive limitations frequently rely on informal caregivers who are often other older adults.

Supporting caregivers and enabling continued workforce participation are central strategies in Australia's response to an ageing population, however these strategies have potential disadvantages for carers, particularly women, including reduced workforce participation and retirement income, and poorer health status. This paper explores the nexus between paid work and caregiving for Australia's baby boomer cohort as this group faces unprecedented pressures to manage paid work alongside caring longer and more intensively for family members, including grandchildren.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to discover the characteristics of informal caregivers of elderly patients; to determine the socioeconomic, psychological, and physical consequences facing informal caregivers; and to measure their burdens and needs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional survey of informal caregivers of elderly patients. Participants were recruited from different hospitals and primary care clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For an intended sample size of 384 caregivers, a multistage sampling was used.