Research and Resources for Family Caregivers
Family caregivers assume a multitude of responsibilities – from cooking and cleaning to managing medications, overseeing finances, and providing transportation to medical appointments. Doing it all for someone you love can be beautiful and fulfilling, but it can also be draining and guilt-inducing.
As America’s population ages and the number of those with severe health issues increases, more family caregivers will find themselves in similar situations. However, to ensure proper care for aging seniors, new research suggests that family caregivers also need to prioritize their own well-being.
44.6 is the average number of hours per week a spouse/partner spends caring for their loved one.
SOURCE: Caregiving in the U.S., 2015 Report; AARP
Age and Emotional Well-Being: The Varied Emotional Experience of Family Caregivers, is a research study conducted by the Stanford Center on Longevity and the Stanford University Psychology Department that found family caregivers – older ones especially - run the risk of poor well-being and depression when they take on the job of caring for a severely ill loved one. This may be because their social relationships suffer too, which are essential for their well-being.
Comfort Keepers® collaborated with Stanford and the home care services software company ClearCare to survey 2,000 adults who had hired a Comfort Keepers caregiver to help an ailing relative. The survey found that family caregivers caring for a severely ill loved one often experienced social isolation and negative impacts on their emotional well-being.
The study reveals what many caregivers already know, yet often fail to do – they need to care for themselves too. It’s only when they take care of themselves that they can take good care of their loved ones. Sometimes, that means asking for help from other family members. It can also mean turning to home care services, like those available from Comfort Keepers, for a helping hand. Comfort Keepers offers respite care and senior care services that enable family caregivers to receive the help they need to take care of their senior loved ones and themselves. Contact us today to learn more.
