Burden of Time Spent Caregiving and the Projected Costs to Businesses in Los Angeles County

Background: Little is known about caregivers in local jurisdictions, especially for health services and workplace wellness planning purposes. In this study, we examined the health and economic burden of caregiving in Los Angeles County using hours of care provided as an indicator of burden, assuming constant rates of disability across age groups. Methods: We estimated the amount of time spent caregiving among County residents using data from the 2007 Los Angeles County Health Survey, a population-based random-digit dial telephone survey of 7,200 adults. State Department of Finance data were utilized to extrapolate expected changes in the caregiving population (2007-2030). To determine the present and future costs of caregiving on businesses, similar approaches to the Met Life Caregiving Cost Study were applied. Results: Caregivers that provided more hours of care are more likely to report their health status as poor/fair than caregivers that provided fewer hours of care (p<0.05). In 2030, the expected number of caregivers in the county will increase to 1.9 million individuals from 1.1 million. The current cost to Los Angeles County employers is more than $220 million and will likely triple over the next 20 years to $767 million. Discussion: Aging baby boomers will likely place more stress on existing health care and social services as well as businesses as informal caregiving becomes more prevalent in the workforce. Broader application of work-based policies such as flexible scheduling may be needed to help address this growing need.