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Caregiving

Caregiving involves attending to the needs of and providing assistance to someone else who is not fully independent, such as an infant or an individual with an illness, disability, or disorder. A person who does the majority of the work is called the primary caregiver.

In health care, a caregiver is anyone involved in the process of identifying, preventing, or treating an illness or disability.

Adapted from the APA Dictionary of Psychology

Resources from APA

Caregiving as a source of stress and strength

William Haley, PhD, discusses the mental and physical health effects of caregiving

drawing of a man sitting at a table with another man holding an umbrella over the table

Talking through practicalities of divorce later in life

Mental health clinicians can help people think through the practical implications of divorce, such as impact on caregiving and medical decision-making plans

illustration of a person's brain vessels disintegrating

Improving quality of life for dementia patients

Psychologists are providing more culturally competent care to those with dementia and their loved ones

A hidden pandemic of COVID-19

How psychologists are helping children who have lost caregivers to COVID-19.

More resources about caregiving

What APA is doing

Consumer Supplement to the Family Caregivers Briefcase

Consumer resource

Caregiver briefcase

An online resource on family caregiving, including common problems, how to reach caregivers, psychologists’ roles, assessment tools and effective interventions, and resources for diverse populations and age groups.