Mapping the Caregiver Journey
What is the day in the life of a caregiver? What caregiving jobs, tasks, and responsibilities pose the biggest burden? How does caregiving affect an individual's health and wellbeing? Where do caregivers need help?
This study followed twenty-nine employed family caregivers providing unpaid care to an adult family member over a period of three months, with information being obtained from one month of daily surveys, two months of weekly surveys, and occasional phone interviews. The surveys and interviews covered various aspects of caregiving (e.g., daily tasks, well-being, time management, communication, and the effects of caregiving on work and family life) and touched on numerous domains, including transportation, technology, finances, medication management, personal care and social networks.
Data from the study have been used to unearth a wealth of facts, research questions to explore further, and caregiver "personas" that track a day in the life of four different caregivers.
Our Approach
A large portion of the population is involved in providing unpaid care for a family member. However, not much is known about what caregivers are doing on a daily basis, what services and resources they use, and how they balance caregiving with work and personal life. Researchers at the MIT AgeLab has conducted an exploratory study to learn more about caregivers and the caregiving experience. The research process and results are presented in this website.
