Shifting Attention to the Family Caregiver: The Neglected, Vulnerable, At-Risk Person Sitting at the Side of Your Patient and Struggling to Maintain their Own Health

Family caregivers are spouses, partners, family members, or friends who provide extraordinary uncompensated care yet are themselves a vulnerable and at-risk population, who must be recognized as “care recipients in their own right.” This article shifts the attention of health care professionals to family caregivers. It moves family caregivers out of the shadow of the patient to more fully understand who they are, the burdens and benefits of care giving, how to communicate with family caregivers, the questions to be asked for a comprehensive family caregiver assessment, and emphasizes the need for the right type, the right time, and the right dose of interventions to lessen the negative health consequences of family caregiving and to promote and protect their health, well-being, and quality of life across the illness experience.