An estimated 100 million people in the U.S. have acted as a caregiver, according to a Cambria Health survey. Anyone who has taken on this task—whether it has been for an aging parent, a sick partner or child, or even a friend or neighbor in need—knows it is not easy. A 2006 study, “Assessment of Family Caregivers: A Research Perspective,” found that 40% to 70% of family caregivers have clinically significant symptoms of depression. And it does more than just take a toll mentally—17% of caregivers feel their health in general has gotten worse, according to the AARP Public Policy Institute.
Want more statistics? Thirty-seven percent of caregivers are hands-on administering medications, injections, and medical treatment. And 77% desire more information and advice about medications and treatments for their loved ones. This is all to say that it is imperative that life sciences companies provide the same level of support to caregivers that they do to patients and their healthcare providers.
In our feature, Caring for the Caregivers: How Biopharma Can Lend a Helping Hand, Abigail Mallon of VMS BioMarketing makes five suggestions on the different services and support that companies can offer. Meanwhile, Ann Moravick of Rx4good explains why when you do reach out to these people, you might not actually want to call them caregivers. Find out why on by clicking here.
Hopefully, those numbers helped convince you that this audience is worth your time, and if they did, then that just shows the power of data. While most marketers don’t need to be convinced of the usefulness of data, they may need help in making all of the data they collect actually useful. Our Think Tank on Data Overload—The Best Ways to Manage and Interpret Data can help you sort out your data management issues, and our Focus On: Data Analytics provides additional insights into the changes impacting your targeting abilities and the areas of analytics not enough companies are fully leveraging.
You also won’t have to wait much longer to learn about all of the companies, products, services, and strategies out there that can help you solve any of your other problem areas. Our annual December Innovations Issue, as always, will serve as the perfect year-end guide of the most innovative solutions helping make the jobs of those in life sciences a little easier. We can’t wait for you to see it!
