Uncounted care

Family care (care for dependent persons at home by family members and friends) is widely endorsed, politically and personally, as the chronic care option that is superior to institutionally-based, formal care services. Politicians, health planners, and analysts may be especially supportive of a preferred form of care which is also believed to be economical. But the full costs of family care, including the value of the unpaid work of caregivers, are rarely acknowledged. This article reviews studies of caregiving and its costs and acknowledges the gender bias inherent in caregiving which has been regarded as free before its costs were calculated. Policy and health care practice will benefit from examination of both the costs and benefits of family care.