The Life Course Impact of Long-Term Caregiving Upon Parent Caregivers of Adult Offspring with Disabilities

Due to social and health care improvements, people with disabilities are living longer lives. According to one study, there are over 14.7 million caregivers worldwide providing care for approximately 7.7 million adults with disabilities (Wolfe et al., 2016). Due to the limited availability of community care resources, long-term primary care frequently becomes the responsibility of the parents or siblings of the adult with a disability. Caregiver burden is defined as caregiver perceptions of the stressors related to the provision of long-term care. This article focuses on the impact of perceived burden of time dependence, financial obligation, developmental stressors, and emotional well-being upon the overall quality of life of the family caregivers. The research presented in this literature review suggests that prolonged caregiving negatively impacts the overall quality of life for family caregivers. When caregiver burden is decreased, family caregivers experience higher quality of life. (Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Maria Peterson-Ahmad)