Ensuring the Well-Being of caregivers
Chronic health conditions, or psychological or physical health conditions that persist for 3 months or longer (Newacheck & Taylor, 1992), are quite common. About half of all adults in the U.S. have at least one chronic health condition, and about 25% have two or more (Ward, Schiller, & Goodman, 2014). While arthritis and muscoskeletal conditions are the leading cause of activity limitations among working-age adults, psychological disorders are the second leading cause among individuals age 18-44 years old (National Center for Health Statistics, 2006). In 2007, approximately 39% of the nearly 41 million disabled individuals had mental disabilities, which include disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar and chronic depression (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007).
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