As many as 1.4 million U.S. children ages 8 to 18 -- including 400,000 between the ages of 8 and 11 -- provide care for an adult family member, a new United Hospital Fund/National Alliance for Caregiving study has found. The report, Young Caregivers in the U.S.: Findings from a National Survey, profiles these young caregivers and the tasks they perform, and explores the profound impact on their lives.
Caregivers aged 18 to 25 are the subject of a parallel analysis, Young Adult Caregivers: A First Look at an Unstudied Population, co-authored by the Fund (reprinted with permission from the American Public Health Association).