Some people find themselves thrust into the role of family caregiver before they’ve even had a chance to think about what it will mean for their lives. They may not have had the opportunity to consider how being a caregiver can impact certain areas of their life, including their health and their career. However, in a 2015 study involving 400 caregivers, researchers found that 64 percent reported that caregiving had a negative impact on their lives in terms of their physical and mental health as well as their employment. The researchers concluded that the negative impact of being a caregiver was due to the huge demands placed on caregivers and the lack of resources they have. Understanding how caregiving may impact your life can help you to plan for the future and find ways to mitigate the negative effects of the role.
How Caregiving Affects Health
According to the Family Caregiver Alliance, between 40 and 70 percent of caregivers have symptoms of clinical depression. They also tend to have higher rates of stress than people who are not involved in caregiving. About 22 percent of caregivers report that they go to bed feeling exhausted at night.
In addition to the negative effect on emotional and mental health, one out of ten caregivers say that their physical health has declined since becoming a caregiver. They also suffer from things like acid reflux, headaches, and body pain more often. Worse than that, they are at higher risk for serious illnesses like heart disease.
How Being a Caregiver Might Impact Your Employment
According to a report from AARP titled “Caregiving in the U.S. 2020,” caregiving can also have a major impact on a person’s ability to work. Six out of 10 caregivers say that being a caregiver has caused them to have to make some changes in the way they work. About 53 percent of respondents said that being a caregiver had made them late to work, need to leave early, or take days off to care for someone.
What Can Be Done to Reduce Negative Effects?
The good news is that there are ways you can keep caregiving from negatively affecting your life. One way to do this is to contact a home care agency to bring in help. When a home care provider is with your aging relative, you can feel comfortable going to work and will also have more time to take care of yourself.
Sources
https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/basics/info-2020/negative-impacts-on-caregivers-grows.html?intcmp=AE-HP-TTN-R4-POS1-REALPOSS-TODAY
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5453737/
https://www.caregiver.org/caregiver-health
If you or an aging loved one is considering caregivers in Parker, CO, please contact the caring staff at SYNERGY HomeCare today at 303-953-9924.
