Female Caregivers Research Paper

In the U.S, one in four will be aged 60 years and older by 2050 (U.S. Census Bureau). This represents an overwhelming number of people who will either be in the caretaker role or be the ROC. Like today, most of the care will be provided by informal unpaid caregivers. The number of informal unpaid caregivers is expected to rise from 20 million in 2000 to 37 million in 2050 (Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation [ASPE], 2003). Because of the burden of care giving, many caregivers will experience depression, poor health and quality of life (Etters, Goodall, & Harrison, 2008). Their well-being is an important public health concern.

Care 2 Caregivers is a peer support line for caregivers to strengthen the caregiver’s network. Services provided include peer support, counseling, health education, disease management, and referrals to community agencies for support and assistance. WellCare partnered with Care 2 Caregivers and handled 2,200 individual cases, and had 8,026 contacts with caregivers. Nearly two-thirds of the contacts provided peer support or counseling services.

Caregivers takes many forms, some are paid and some work voluntarily and even many of us work as caregivers for our parents, grandparents but we do not realize that we are caregivers actually. Those old aged people who do not have some family members to take care of them can benefit from support and incentives programs. Caregivers manage a wide range of responsibilities. In your family, for example: Who will help with buying groceries, cooking, cleaning

When your senior loved one needs care, it is not uncommon for loved ones to rally around and provide support. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control estimate that there are nearly 35-40 million senior caregivers in the United States. Of these caregivers, 90 percent of them are family members and loved ones. Despite our very best intentions, however, not everybody can provide all of the assistance needed for their senior loved one. In these circumstances, in-home caregivers become essential.

In the U.S., there is an essential population of informal caregivers that devote a significant amount of time and resources to caring for older adults with impairments. However, due to the informal nature of these caregiver relationships, there is a lack of knowledge and understanding of this population. In “A National Profile of Family and Unpaid Caregivers Who Assist Older Adults with Health Care Activities (2016)”, Wolff and colleagues highlight the importance of understanding the responsibilities of caregivers and how this may affect their own health, as well as the need to identify the basic characteristics of informal caregivers. Therefore, the primary objective of this study by Wolff and colleagues (2016) was to characterize the common responsibilities of caregivers, their utilization of supportive services, as well as to identify the effects of caregiver-related responsibilities on their health. Ultimately, this information may inform future public health services and health care systems to provide much needed support and resources to these caregivers.

Anyone facing years or decades of care giving responsibilities may find themselves feeling disheartened, especially if a friend family member’s condition is expected to continue deteriorating. Without the help and support you need, you become susceptible to a variety of emotional and physical problems including depression and heart disease. On many occasions, a caregiver is so busy taking care of others

Services that are specific to the aging population are “1) Educating caregivers about aging, health, and mental health 2)Counseling to help families cope with the stresses of caregiving 3)Coordinating care and services 4) Linking caregivers with the resources they need 5)Helping families plan for the future 6)Leading support groups for family caregivers 7)Working through conflicts and managing crises 8)Advocating to help families reach their goals 9)Communicating with other service providers and organizations and 10)Helping families find their way through transitions.” (NASW Standards,

Caregivers who report caring for a loved one in an at-home environment tend to show more symptoms of depression, and fall into a poorer state of physical and mental health. Depending on the relationship status of the caregiver and the elder with dementia, fewer symptoms of depression may result than expected due to reduction of guilt, resentment, or burden towards the situation. In addition, experiencing pleasant activities on a daily basis boosts the caregiver's and the patient's mood, causing more satisfaction at the end of the day. Implementing a daily routine filled with physical activities, activities promoting cognitive functioning, and other mood-boosting activities guide the individual to engage with his or her community. Although these tasks may become harder to complete in later stages of dementia, it is crucial for maintenance of cognitive functioning along with higher levels of happiness.

Declining health and depression are two of the largest reasons families look into assisted living homes for aging loved ones. Making sure that the healthcare needs of the elderly are met becomes a priority for every family as the roles begin to reverse from the parent being the primary caregiver of their children to the children being responsible for meeting the needs of aging parents. Diseases such Alzheimer’s and dementia are very difficult for not only the

Caregiver burnout is very serious. Family caregivers face chronic health issues at double the rate of non-caregivers. Family caregivers also suffer from depression at more than twice the rate of non-caregivers. Sadly, most of these caregivers don't recognize the symptoms of their ailments. They simply think they are feeling tired, or that the symptoms are just part of caregiving. Even worse, caregivers are less likely to seek their own medical treatment while caring for a loved one, so their condition goes unnoticed and undiagnosed until it reaches a highly serious state.

It’s not wrong to expect your mother in law to pay 1/3 of household expense, groceries, utilities, toiletries out of her SSI but your mother in law has to give a consent or authorize to use her SSI. It’s true that caregivers who attempt to balance caregiving with their other activities, such as work, family, and leisure, may find it difficult to focus on the positive aspects of caregiving and often experience more negative reactions, such as an increased sense of burden. Regardless of the amount of care provided, caregivers may become increasingly more distressed if they are unable to participate in valued activities and interests. Caregivers who are employed report missed days, interruptions at work, leaves of absence, and reduced productivity

Eighty percent of senior care is provided by family members. While this is a beautiful statistic that shows family unity, the American Psychiatric Association notes that this care comes at a terrible cost for caregivers. "Between 40 to 70 percent of caregivers have clinically significant symptoms of depression, with approximately one-half of these caregivers meeting the diagnostic criteria for major depression." Additionally, "caregivers report increased physical ailments as compared to non-caregivers, that include, but are not limited to, chronic pain such as headaches and backaches. Over time, caregiving may erode one's subjective experience of health."

Bomin Shima, Julie Barrosob, Linda L. Davisc,. "A Comparative Qualitative Analysis of Stories of Spousal Caregivers of People with Dementia: Negative, Ambivalent, and Positive Experiences." Science Direct. International Journal of Nursing Studies, Feb. 2012. 10 Mar. 2016.

Caregiver identity theory was developed by Rhonda Montgomery and Karl Kosloski in 2007, as a response to the lack of caregivers utilizing formal services (Montgomery & Kosloski, 2009). The underpinning for this theory was research conducted by (Sherrell, Buckwalter, & Morhardt, 2001) regarding caregivers’ perception of formal services as not being beneficial or an essential component when providing assistance for their care recipient (Montgomery & Kosloski, 2001). Their model is based on caregiving as a change process (Montgomery & Kosloski, 2001).

Summarize: In the United States, women tend to be the primary caregiver more than men, but usually types of support are divided among multiple caregivers by gender role division. Adult children usually provide three types of support. The first is emotional. This involves taking time to listen, visit with, and provide an opportunity for social interaction to the aging parent. The second type of support involves direct services. These services include medication management, grocery supply, and cleaning that the aging parent is unable to perform alone. The third type of support is assistance with support services. This means that the adult child provides help with meals or management of social security, insurance, or in-home healthcare for the