Addressing Burden in Caregivers of Older Adults with Cancer

Background Forty-two million adults in the United States are providing unpaid care for a family member or friend over the age of 50. For approximately 2.5 million of these caregivers, cancer is the primary illness or disability of their care recipient (National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, 2020). As baby boomers continue to age, and the number of cancer survivors continues to increase, the need for informal caregivers will expand exponentially. While Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is recommended for older patients with cancer and distress screening is recommended for all cancer patients, there are currently no recommendations regarding screening for burden among caregivers. This study was designed to identify factors associated with burden in caregivers of older adults with cancer to better understand the needs of this vulnerable yet often overlooked population.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/medoncposters/1020/thumbnail.jp