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Caregiver Concerns
Surveys show that over 44
million adults are caring for a friend or family member over the age
of 18 and there are over 6.7 million children being raised by a
relative. We can help you to develop solutions to cope actively with
many of the challenges that families experience. Together, we can
discuss what goals you want to accomplish and create “step by step”
strategies to help you get there. We are here no matter how big or
small the challenge and by contacting us, you are “one step” closer
to meeting your goal.
Caring
for a family member or children of kin can be a very rewarding
experience and helps promote the health, safety, and security that
we wish to share with those in need of support. Today, caregiving
activities include parenting in a new family arrangement due to
marriage, divorce, or taking on the care of the children of kin. New
family caregiving roles can suddenly emerge with the diagnosis of a
child with a chronic disease, development delay, or Autism, in
addition to either the death of a loved one, decline in health,
onset of mental health or substance abuse problems of a family
member.
The
statistics below show the impact that caring for others can have on
the health and well-being of the caregiver. Caring for a family
member can effect your:
-
Physical Health
- Mental
Health
- Family
and Marital relationships
-
Finances
- Work
life
If you
are experiencing any changes in these are as please contact our
trained professional team at 813-433-1987.
Impact on Family Caregiver's Health
| 23% of family
caregivers caring for loved ones for 5 years or more
report their health is fair or poor. |
Caregiving in the United
States;
National Alliance for Caregiving in collaboration with AARP;
November 2009 |
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| Stress of family caregiving for
persons with dementia has been shown to impact a person's immune
system for up to three years after their
caregiving ends thus increasing their chances of developing a
chronic illness themselves. |
Drs. Janice-Kiecolt Glaser
and Ronald Glaser,
"Chronic stress and age-related increases in the proinflammatory
cytokine IL-6."
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, June 30, 2003.
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| Nearly three quarters (72%) of
family caregivers report not going to the doctor as often as
they should and 55% say they skip doctor appointments for
themselves. 63% of caregivers report having poor eating
habits than non-caregivers and 58% indicate worse
exercise habits than before caregiving responsibilities. |
Evercare Study of
Caregivers in Decline: A Close-Up Look at Health Risks of Caring
for a Loved One.
National Alliance for Caregiving and Evercare. 2006. |
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| 20% of employed female
caregivers over 50 years old report symptoms of
depression compared to 8% of their non-caregiving peers. |
MetLife Study of Working
Caregivers and Employer Health Costs;
National Alliance for Caregiving and MetLife Mature Market
Institute. February 2010 |
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| 40% to 70% of
family caregivers have clinically significant symptoms of
depression with approximately a quarter to half
of these caregivers meet the diagnostic criteria for major
depression. |
| Zarit, S. (2006).
Assessment of Family Caregivers: A Research Perspective |
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| More than 1 in 10 (11%) of
family caregivers report that caregiving has caused their
physical health to deteriorate. |
| How Do Family Caregivers
Fare? A Closer Look at their Experiences. Center on Aging
Society. 2005. |
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| Family caregivers experiencing
extreme stress have been shown to age prematurely. This level of
stress can take as much as 10 years off a family
caregiver's life. |
Elissa S. Epel, Dept of
Psychiatry, Univ of Calif, SF, et al,
From the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dec 7,
2004, Vol 101, No. 49. |
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