Elderly individuals often prefer receiving care in their own home from a younger family member rather than receiving care from a third-party aide or in an assisted living facility.
They may feel uncomfortable with unfamiliar faces or in new surroundings, or they fear losing control over their lives. Other times, the decision for a relative to act as a caregiver is a financial decision based on the increasing costs of hiring outside assistance. Whatever the reason, a family caregiver alleviates a number of stresses on an elderly family member and provides invaluable services that are often times unrecognized and uncompensated.
