More Than a Nine-to-Five Job

Abstract

During the past decade and half, human service providers and policy planners have begun to attend to issues of family caregivers of the elderly. At the same time, interest in and concern for the employed caregiver has surfaced. Now, and increasingly in the future, demographics are destiny; indeed, the greying of America makes long-term care critical concern. Specifically, the growth of the cohort of the old old, those 85 years of age and older, presents the greatest challenge for society. Elaine Brody, prominent gerontologist, says that meeting the chronic care needs of older relatives has become a normative family stress.' This article draws on the extensive experience of The Brookdale Center on Aging of Hunter College (BCOA) related to caregiver concerns. In 1978, the Administration on Aging2 funded pioneer program in which BCOA collaborated with the Community Service Society of New York to develop community-based caregiver support groups. Since that