Informal care in the Netherlands. A situational sketch of informal caregivers reached via Informal Care Centres

Informal care is a very important form of care. There are approximately 1.5 million informal caregivers in the Netherlands. Despite this large number, little is known about those providing this important service. To address this lack of knowledge, Erasmus University Rotterdam, in collaboration with the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the regional Informal Care Centres, carried out a study of informal care in the Netherlands. This is the first study of any size in the Netherlands to survey both the providers and recipients of informal care. A total of 950 informal caregivers took part in the study, which was carried out between November 2001 and February 2002. This report presents some first results.