Nearly a third of Americans use gray market caregivers to aid the elderly and those with dementia

caregiver
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Nearly a third of Americans who arranged for paid care for an older person or someone with dementia employed workers who were not hired through a regulated agency, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Individuals who hired gray market caregivers were less likely to be employed and more likely to also use unpaid care for their family members. In addition, people who lived in rural areas had an almost five-times higher odds of arranging through gray markets as compared to those who lived in urban areas.

The study is the first national survey to probe the use of gray market care for older adults and people with

Read more…