One in four American adults is caring for an elderly or sick family member as more people develop chronic diseases and the population as a whole becomes older, new research finds.
Caregivers are using every resource available to obtain the information and support they need to care for their family members.
Among caregivers, 39% took charge of medications for a loved one, like checking to make sure pills are taken at the right time or refilling prescriptions. Approximately 7% of caregivers use online or mobile tools like apps or websites to do so.Eighty-seven percent of caregivers own a cell phone and 37% of those say they used their cell to search for medical or health information online. This is much higher than the rate of mobile health searches among non-caregivers; 84% of non-caregivers have a cell phone and 27% have used their phone to search for online health information.