Neighbor News
What's Most Difficult, Caregiver?
Whether caregiving a frail spouse or parent, you've got your work cut out!
Let’s face it, caregiving is not easy, even under the best of circumstances. The act of taking care of a loved one is emotional and emotions don’t come in nice, neat packages. So when you’re comparing notes with another caregiver, which I hope you do because support like that is invaluable, find out what they think is more stressful: caring for a spouse or a parent. You might be surprised.
A recent report by Lauran Neergard and Jennifer Agiesta of Associated Press suggests that caregiving a frail spouse may be more stressful than helping mom or dad as they age.
The poll, conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, indicated that “Overwhelmingly, caregivers called it a positive experience. But it’s also incredibly difficult, especially for spouses. While 7 in 10 who cared for a spouse said their relationship grew stronger as a result, nearly two-thirds said it caused stress in their family, compared with about half among those who cared for a parent.”
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The stress is not just emotional, it’s also physical. “The average age of spouse caregivers was 67, compared to 58 for people who’ve cared for a parent.”
In most cases the stress is exacerbated by the fact that while baby boomers are aging, they aren’t all getting ready for their older years. Talking about possible caregiving needs isn’t as popular as planning a funeral, even though government research shows that about 7 in 10 Americans will need long-term care.
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In almost cases, spouses are mostly likely still working when their spouse requires care. Doing the best they can, they try to pick up the slack, emotionally, physically, and financially. They are also still responsible for themselves, the house, and their own health/long term planning needs.
Remind your caregiving comrades who may struggle with caring for a spouse that resources are still growing. Caregiving requires more today than ever before and in response to the increased demand, more community services, employee assistance programs and respite care options are becoming available.
Share resources like the one below to help mitigate the stress that comes with being a caregiver:
Caregiving Resources
To read more about the poll, click here
