Youth Caregivers Spend 2.5 Hours Of Each School Day Caring For A Family Member With Disability Or Behavioral Disorder

Caregiving youth between the ages 8 and 18 in Palm Beach County, Florida report spending a median of 2.5 hours on caregiving tasks on school days and 4.0 hours on non-school days to assist a family member with illnesses, injuries, physical disability, mental illness, or addiction disorder. Their tasks include assisting family members with eating, dressing, toileting, bathing, and continence care. Youth caregivers also provide companionship, provide emotional support, complete housework, shop for groceries, administer medications, handle medical equipment at home, and translate in clinical settings.

In 2002, a survey of 12,681 children in Palm Beach . . .