RespiteMatch.com Health Blog

Everyone knows that caregiving is stressful, but is the amount of stress determined by the type of care they provide? Researchers at the University of Arkansas, recently concluded that the type of caregiving you deliver may determine the amount of stress with which you have to cope.

The stress level for caregivers who provide more assistance with managing money and medications, for example, can be higher than for those who assist with physical needs. The researchers attribute this to the caregivers’ inability to accept their loved ones’ - particularly parents’ - difficulty in performing “thinking” tasks that once were second nature. Respondents noted that it was much harder for them to deal with the cognitive and emotional impairment than with physical challenges.

What do caregivers who are under tremendous stress look for in the way of support? According to the study, they want more information and education, professional resources and the option of family leave time from their employers. The less-favored options were psychological counseling, group therapy and support groups.

Many studies point out that the resources caregivers need are usually available, but unknown, to them. The first stop for most caregivers should be their local offices for the aging, which is located in every county across New York State. These offices provide information and referral, case management, in-home care, home-delivered assistance devices, personal emergency response systems and access to adult day care. They also can assist with home-delivered meals, senior activity centers and caregiver training programs.

Caregivers who contact their local office for the aging can obtain information on training and education, counseling, assistance with respite care and supplemental services - everything that is available to help reduce the stress from their roles as caregivers.

The full press release is available from the University of Arkansas.