Sacred Heart Senior Living

How Caregiving Can Affect Your Health and What You Can Do About It

Nearly 1/3rd of adults in the United States-more than 65 million Americans-provide care for a family member or friend with an illness, disability, or chronic condition during any given year.

A 1/3rd of family caregivers report feeling depressed, and 60% feel extreme stress.

23% of family caregivers caring for a loved one for 5 years or more describe their health as fair or poor.

Family caregivers for seniors provide unpaid care worth $375 billion each year in the U.S.-care that would fall to the state if family caregivers did not step up. We provide an average of 20 hours a week of care, and many of us provide hands-on care around the clock. Eighty percent of long-term care provided at home is provided by family caregivers without any paid help. Fewer than 10 percent of elders receive all of their care from paid home-care workers or in a facility.

Unfortunately, federal, state and local governments are not providing family caregivers with the level of support we need. It's a matter of limited funds, but also of ignorance. The day-to-day responsibilities of family caregivers often remain invisible (even to other family members and coworkers), and we don't realize, as a community, how much family caregivers are suffering.

How caregiving can affect your health

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, family caregivers:

• are more likely to be have symptoms of depression or anxiety
• are more likely to have a long-term medical problem, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or arthritis
• have higher levels of stress hormones
• spend more days sick with an infectious disease
• have a weaker immune response to the influenza, or flu, vaccine
• have slower wound healing
• have higher levels of obesity, and
• may be at higher risk for mental decline, including problems with memory and paying attention."

Many of us know caregivers who died before the person they were caring for. One study referred to by the Office on Women's Health found that "elderly people who felt stressed while taking care of their disabled spouses were 63 percent more likely to die within four years than caregivers who were not feeling stressed."

The bottom line is that caregivers who receive assistance to maintain their own health will be less likely to die prematurely or need long-term care themselves. In monetary terms, investing in caregiver health now will pay dividends for years to come

What You Can Do

1. Attend a support group - there are family caregiver support groups offered throughout this country. Go to the Alzheimer's Association's webpage to find one near you. Sacred Heart Senior Living ofers 2 family caregiver support groups each month. Please call 610-814-2700 for more information.

2. Find a good susbstitute for your own hands! Many adult day programs, home care companies and personal care/assisted living communities offer respite care meaning, they will care for your loved one for a few days, a week- for a short stay.

3. Become an advocate! By learning about the legislation already in action or proposed that may help our loved ones and caregivers, you can effectively educate others and ask your legislator to sponsor, cosponsor or vote for legislation that may help. There is a lot of legislation that has been passed in the passed few years, ammended or proposed by our legislators at the state and federal government levels. Please go to the Azheimer's association advocacy page to find out what has been passed and what we are hoping will pass. Sign up to become an advocate and communicate with your legislators directly by joining as an advocate.

You can provide the very best of care for your loved one - but your hands do not need to provide the care directly. Make promises to your family that you will always make sure they are cared for, happy and safe. You can do this by finding the very best in care out there, attend support groups and educate yourself about your loved ones condition and become an advocate to help your loved one and YOURSELF.