The Challenge of Family Caregiving
Caring for Elderly Parent or Spouse Can Lead to Depression
Nov 10, 2009
Sleepless nights, depression and increased stress are typical symptoms experienced by people who take on the role of caregiving for a family member with disease or disability.
“I’m always tired,” said Pam Plencner of Johnsburg, Ill., who took on the responsibility of being her mother’s caregiver, due to her mother’s dementia. “A lot of nights I just can’t fall asleep because I’m thinking about the events of the day. Caregiving has probably affected my sleep and my immune system.”
Pam had to quit her part-time job to care for her mother. Pam said that although the caregiving itself is stressful, the worst part is seeing her mother’s mental capacities deteriorate due to dementia. “It’s extremely difficult because, in addition to being a caregiver, I’m grieving for the mother and friend I had,” said Pam.
Unique Era for Caregivers
Pam is not alone in her struggle. She is among the more than 50 million family caregivers across the country. Although there have always been family caregivers, these times present a unique challenge. Due to medical advances, people with disease live longer. The majority of caregivers underestimate the time they will spend as caregivers, believing it will be two years or less, according to a MetLife Juggling Act Study, Balancing Caregiving with Work and the Costs of Caregiving, 1999. The average length of time spent caregiving is about eight years.
In a previous era, women who stayed home would care for their elderly parents. Today, most women are in the workplace, creating the additional challenge of balancing work responsibilities with care for an elderly parent, while often still caring for children. And, caregiving is no longer just a women’s issue. According to a survey by the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA), men represent 44 percent of caregivers.
Another caregiving challenge, in our culture, is that families no longer live close together. It can be difficult for other family members to provide support if they live in another state.
Depression Biggest Problem
Family caregiving is hard work, said Suzanne Geffen Mintz, president and co-founder of the NFCA, in a phone interview. “One of the biggest problems family caregivers experience is depression. They have a much higher rate of depression,” she said.
According to a study published in the American Journal of Health, family caregivers, who provide care 36 hours or more weekly, have a much higher rate of depression and anxiety than non-caregivers. For spouses that rate is four times higher; for those caring for a parent it is twice as high.
Mintz knows the stress of caregiving from personal experience. Her husband, Steven, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1974. Throughout her years of caring for him, she suffered two bouts of clinical depression, which she successfully overcame. Her experience led her to the conclusion that chronic illness and disability affects not only the person afflicted, but the caregiver as well. In 1993, she co-founded the NFCA to help meet the unmet needs of family caregivers.
“Caregivers suffer from depression, sleep problems, back pain. It can actually affect the caregiver’s immune system, making the caregiver more prone to getting sick and healing more slowly,” said Mintz.
Mintz noted that a study of elderly spouse caregivers, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that the caregivers had a 63 percent higher incidence of mortality than non-caregivers.
Caregivers Need to Renew
Many caregivers don’t get enough sleep, said Mintz. They go to bed late and wake up early; they have trouble sleeping due to stress and worry, and often they are interrupted to provide care
“If you’re not getting enough rest, it impacts the next day and you never catch up,” said Mintz.
Family caregivers need to remember to take care of themselves. They need to renew by seeking out support, taking time for themselves and by getting enough sleep. The National Family Caregivers Association offers many resources to help caregivers and to let them know they are not alone.
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