A new study indicates that there is a strong connection between those that provide care to an elderly family member and experiencing persistent symptoms of depression.
The research, conducted by the University of Eastern Finland, indicates that about one in three people that act as a family caregiver for someone dealing with Alzheimer’s disease experience ongoing symptoms of depression.
Additionally, one of the interesting findings within this study was that those who saw their depression symptoms worsen at the greatest rate were those that were caring for a spouse. It really goes to show that there is an emotional toll when it comes to helping an older loved one. Unfortunately, this is a harsh reality for a lot of people, and many don’t see an end in sight to the burden.
One of the big recommendations that came out of this study was that in addition to monitoring the health of those that suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, the health of those that are caring for them should also be tracked. When someone suffers from depression, there are often other health problems that can become more prevalent simply because those with depression have a tendency to ignore their own health. Identifying these trends can help improve health for those suffering from depression and their family members.
The team published their findings in the journal, Clinical Gerontologist. There’s a lot to learn from this study, and a lot more research that needs to be done. While that might be the case, hopefully, it acts as a catalyst to help current family caregivers take their own mental health more seriously and get connected to the supports and resources that they need to provide better assistance to their family and take better care of themselves, too.
Being a family caregiver is hard, there’s no doubt about that. While some people are able to do it well, not everyone can. Some people can do it for months or even a couple years without any sort of issue, some people can only last a few weeks providing this help for those that they love. Caring for an older loved one is something that we all want to do, but it can take a toll on the person providing it. This study is an indicator of that.
Unfortunately, when caregivers begin to burnout, either because of overwhelming depression symptoms or for other reasons, the quality of care that they are able to provide goes down.
If someone experiences caregiver burnout, sometimes it’s just a matter of a day or two in a different situation that can help make things a lot better. Respite care can be an ideal solution in this case. Rather than grinding it out day after day, a trained professional can step in and carry a little bit of the laid for you. This can be a one time thing, or a regular occurrence–it’s up to you and your family’s needs.
We’d love to help if you think this might be helpful in your situation. Please feel free to give us a call or email. One of our trained professionals would love to talk more with you and get you pointed in the right direction when it comes to your family’s senior care needs.
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