There is no consistent definition of family caregiving. Some organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Association define caregiving as “attending to one’s health needs.” Many studies rely on family members’ self-identification as a caregiver, whereas others tend to use more objective measures to define family caregiving, such as the number of activities of daily living (ADLs) that a family member helps a relative with. If the latter definitional scope is selected, it is important to acknowledge the wide range of tasks that family caregiving often encompasses: family caregiving may include not only basic or instrumental ADL tasks but also management of specific dis- ease symptoms (eg, behavior problems caused by a relative’s dementia; nausea that is a result of a relative’s cancer therapy), financial help, or care coordination between health care professionals.
