Caregiver Definition

A caregiver is either an individual (such as a physician, nurse or social worker) who aids in the identification, prevention or treatment of an illness or disability, or an individual (such as a parent, foster parent or household head) who caters to the needs of a child or dependent adult.

An example of a voluntary caregiver, then, is an adult who takes in an ailing parent to look after, while an example of a professional caregiver is a nurse who is hired to attend to an Alzheimer's sufferer. Read on for further caregiver information, from an in home caregiver duty to "care for the caregiver."