A caregiver is typically an unpaid relative or friend of a disabled or chronically ill individual, most often a senior citizen, who requires help with common daily activities such as bathing, dressing, preparing meals, pay bills, and taking medications.

With an increasingly aging population and people living a lot longer in all developed societies, the role of caregivers has been increasingly recognized by the senior care community as being very important one for families of loved ones in need of home care services. The majority of caregivers are providing care for someone 50+ years of age and for someone who has Alzheimer's disease or other dementia.

Most family caregivers feel more positive about their experiences than they did just before they took on the responsibility, even though caregivers are often burdened by high out-of-pocket costs in taking care of a loved one. The amount of satisfaction with caregiving is directly related to the type of disease from which the care recipient suffers. Caregivers of those suffering from depression, cancer and cardiac disease tend to have more difficulty than those caring for patients who suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis.

Although caregiving can be rewarding for many, it can be very stressful as well. There are, however, solutions such as respite care to help give relief to caregivers, so they can work, exercise, and take care of other daily needs and activities while giving them a break from what can be a stress in their life of giving care to a loved one daily.