Condition of Informal Caregiving in Contemporary Times - Essay Example

The research will be presented in a logical and systematic format that focuses on raising awareness regarding mental health social work and informal caregivers residing in various communities. The study intends to acknowledge the importance of informal caregiving and the role it plays in maintaining a healthy society.

The recent discoveries and advances in the field of medicine have enabled people to live longer and to some extent, save them from fatal diseases. However, living longer also entails delicate care and assistance, as some diseases could not be cured totally such as Alzheimer’s and those which are mental health-related. In these instances, we turn to doctors, nurses and other professional health care personnel to provide people with chronic illness or physical disability with extensive care and make their lives more comfortable.

However, when the diseases often disrupt activities such as eating, changing clothes and other daily routines, immediate care is often given by family members or close friends. Such instances call for informal caregivers. Most of the time, they do play an important role in caregiving rather than accredited professionals. Considering how difficult and unstable their condition is and the number of medications that are prescribed for their consumption, the significance of informal caregiving is much more for those who suffer from mental health illnesses.

According to statistics, there are at least a hundred million people who are involved in informal caregiving and most of them juggle informal caregiving and their respective professionals’ jobs. According to Scott (2006), despite the significance they played in maintaining a healthy society, informal caregiving often goes unnoticed as seen in the lack of government and community support. Furthermore, the so-called “baby boomers” will also reach their peak, will retire from their respective jobs, and begin to live a life of an elder which in turn would increase the number of individuals that need to be cared for.