
By many estimates, the group of Colorado citizens 65 years and older will quadruple in the next three decades. With this expected population growth many of us in the upcoming years will be faced with primary or secondary caregiving for a loved one.
Numerous gerontological research studies report that family members provide nearly 82 percent of the necessary care for an elder family members in Colorado. Oftentimes there is one primary caregiver for seniors . This person is most frequently the elder's child/children or spouse. There may also be a secondary group of individuals offering support to the elder and the primary caregiver. They could be extended family members, as well as friends.
Colorado caregivers for seniors must often provide care under complex circumstances, often balancing the concerns of their own immediate families, their careers, and their responsibility for elderly caregiving. In fact, caregiving can often be defined as providing unpaid assistance for the physical and emotional needs of another person, ranging from partial assistance to round-the-clock 24-hour care. Caregivers for seniors in Colorado can also be considered primary and secondary. Several studies report the primary is most often a daughter or spouse. The secondary caregivers are most often other family and close friends, as well as those who are not relatives. Secondary caregivers tend to be less frequently involved in the personal care, although help with support of the elder and respite of the primary caregiver.