This is a useful blog post on the PBS Newshour website by Leah Eskenazi, MSW, from Family Caregiver Alliance.
www.pbs.org/newshour/health/tips-for-health-every-caregiver-needs
Tips for health and sanity that every caregiver needs
by Leah Eskenazi, MSW
PBS Newshour
March 27, 2015
Here are some excerpts:
Researchers continue to study the possible negative effects of caregiving on health and well-being. We know, for example, that spouses who provide care, who are between the ages of 66 and 96, and who are experiencing mental or emotional strain, have a 63 percent higher risk of dying than people the same age who are not caregivers. A combination of emotional loss, prolonged stress and the often-heavy physical demands of caregiving, along with age-related vulnerabilities — physical frailty, sensory impairment, health problems of the caregiver — can increase caregivers’ risk for earlier death.
For adult children, caring for a parent, spouse, partner or other relative while also juggling work, raising children and maintaining a relationship can contribute to an increased risk for depression, impaired immune system and likelihood for developing one or more chronic health conditions, such as hypertension, high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol.
There are some helpful tips in the article for all caregivers.
Robin