A Review on the Roles of Informal Caregivers for Community- dwelling older people and Supportive Program and Policies

This study aimed to clarify the scope and roles of caregivers, conducting an in-depth analysis to examine whether there is sufficient policy support in place for their current roles. To do so, we utilized domestic and international databases, including papers and reports from the year 2000 to 2023. We extracted and analyzed relevant literature using keywords related to the field of caregiving and informal caregivers. Policy support for the older people and family caregivers included strategies to reduce financial burden, indirect support for the older people, as well as direct support methods such as counseling and leave programs. However, there was a lack of integrated educational systems for both care recipients and informal family caregivers, leading to limitations in accessing information and support as the nature of caregiving evolved. Support policies for caregivers were institution-centric and fragmented, indicating the need for organizations overseeing caregiving comprehensively to provide education and support programs. The provision of interconnected data that both caregiving recipients and caregivers can understand is fundamental for long-term caregiving policy development. It is essential to explore practical policy measures for caregiving, enabling the formulation of integrated policies to support caregivers effectively.