Friend Caregivers Half As Likely To Be Sole Caregivers For Older Adults, More Likely To Provide Transportation

Friend caregivers, defined as friends or neighbors who provide assistance, were less likely to serve as the sole caregiver for adults ages 65 and older (11.1%) than family caregivers (21.2%), according to a recent study. Although friend caregivers provided fewer hours of care each month on average (18.1 hours compared with 66.6 hours for family caregivers), they were more likely to assist with transportation (65.7% versus 52.7%).

Researchers analyzed data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), a nationally representative survey of Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older. The analysis included 451 . . .