Background: The majority of our increasing elder adult population requires some degree of formal and/or informal care because of loss of function as a result of failing health. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), nearly thr- quarters of elder adults suffer from one or more chronic diseases. Examples include arthritis, hypertension, and diabetes, to name a few. The cost and burden of caring for elder adults is steadily increasing. Changes in the Medicare system led to a shift in the responsibility for care from institutions (nursing homes, etc.) to the community (individuals and families). The roleof informalcaregiversin providingcare to theelder adultpopulationhasgreatly increased in the past two decades. Consequently, informal caregivers have come to be viewed as an unpaid extension of professional caregivers, providing most of the caretoelderadultsrequiringlong-termcare.Infact,nationaldatabasesderivedfrom differentsourceshave providedunequivocalevidencethat family andfriendsare the sole care providersfor about three-quarters of all community-dwellingelder adults. Informal caregivers have experienced increased physical burdens and emotional strains because of this shift in long-term elder care responsibilities. Furthermore, healthcare providers are faced with a shrinking professional caregiving work force at the same time.