Caregiving is an issue of rising global importance. Cross-disciplinary research on caregiving has increased substantially since the mid-1980s. The primary focus has been on the need for care of older persons who are prone to multiple chronic diseases, frailty, and declining functional capacity. This research has assisted our understanding of the emotional, physical, and moral dimensions of caregiving. In addition to studying the caregiving for older persons, many researchers have also examined caregiving by older persons to spouses, adult children, grandchildren, and extended family members. Caregiving may have both positive and negative effects on the health and wellbeing of the caregiver and care receiver, the balance of which depend on family and economic context, cultural norms of care, and nature of the caregiving relationship.