An informal caregiver is someone who provides unpaid care to a friend, family member, or neighbor in need. They often help with daily tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and dressing, as well as support with managing appointments and finances.

The role of informal caregivers in patient recovery is multifaceted and often underappreciated, particularly within low-resource settings where formal support structures are limited. The provision of caregiving is integral to the continuum of care and can serve as a crucial determinant of patient outcomes. However, while caregivers facilitate recovery by providing physical, emotional, and logistical support, the responsibilities they assume frequently exact a significant toll on their own physical and mental well‐being. This duality of caregiving—as both indispensable and inherently burdensome—demands rigorous academic inquiry and public policy attention, especially given the growing number of patients who rely on informal care in the context of chronic illness, advanced age, and post‐surgical recovery.

Informal Caregiving, Low-Resource Settings, Caregiver Burden, Challenges of Caregiving, Policy Imperatives (for Caregiving)

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