Abstract
On the national level, family home care is a large and growing undertaking. At the household level it is a complex, delicately balanced system that involves trade-offs among the interests of three principal actors—the dependent person, the family, and the community. A model that is useful for understanding these dynamics is presented at the beginning of this chapter. Next, we present new data on the prevalence of family home care in the United States and on the characteristics of the dependent population and their families. Finally, this chapter compares the capacities of care-giving families with the needs of severely, moderately, and mildly dependent family members.