<p>ABSTRACT The current increase in the population of older adults has created a high demand for more informal caregivers. Informal caregivers complain of many problems in providing care including psychological stresses and anxieties, as well as physical, emotional, financial, and other social burdens. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand and describe the essence of the lived experiences of informal caregivers. The study was also intended to make health professionals and policy makers aware of such problems. The study adopted a qualitative methodology and a hermeneutical phenomenological design. Purposeful sampling was used in selecting participants with informal caregiving experience. Eleven informal caregivers were interviewed via telephone for data collection. Data was analyzed using Nvivo 11 for the identification and description of patterns and themes from the perspectives of participants. Eight themes that emerged from data analysis were: (a) Gender, many females engaging in caregiving, (b) Caregivers feeling stressful, (c) Love played a crucial role in caregiving, (d) Need for training for caregivers, (e) Being cared for by loved family members, (f) Impacts on job performance, (g) Living arrangements between caregiver and care receiver, and (h) Lack of support from family, community or state agencies. The conclusions focused on the need for support to informal caregivers such as caregiver training, adult day care services, care leave or respite care, increased access to services, care payments, and expansion in the informal caregiver workforce.

<p> The Filipino culture recognizes the elderly as part of its human resources. As a culture that considers family as a basic unit of society, the elderly play a central role. When elderly Filipinos, those that are 65 years of age and older, migrate to the United States, they expect that their families are able to take care of them. However, work demands and living situations among family members prevent them from receiving proper care.</p><p> With the increasing population of elderly Filipinos in Palm Springs, demand for a new Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) is important. Agbayani's Residential Care Facility for Elderly Filipinos in Palm Springs, CA will offer supportive, quality, and long-term care for institutionalizing family in the facility. This business plan will show how Agbayani's RCFE intends on providing elderly Filipinos the quality of service and community they are accustomed to while maintaining a viable business.</p>