BoomerGirl Diary

I've always heard about people who are "born caregivers." After spending a few months caring for my late husband a few years ago, I have to admit I'm not one of those born to the job. In fact, I've got to think "born caregivers" fall in the same category as people who like to flail themselves with barbed wire.

Besides, caregiving is not healthy. A national study backs that, by the way.

About 44 million people are involved in caregiving nationally. And 2.5 million of them said their health was in poor condition because of their caregiving chores.

Overall, more than half, 53 percent, of the respondents said their health had declined and impacted their ability to provide care.

Stress, depression and sleep deprivation are the key health problems that worsen as a result of caregiving, says Sherri Snelling, director of caregiving services for Evercare, the insurance program that sponsored the study.

"Because we are in the health-care industry, we're concerned when caregivers say their health is worse," she says. "And we're also talking about mental health because 91 percent of the caregivers reported depression."

Q: Who are all these caregivers?

A: About 60 percent are women. And it is the women (85 percent) who report the greatest health decline. We think that's because a lot of men do financial and legal caregiving and women do more emotional and day-to-day care of a loved one. But that is just an assumption.

Q: I know caregiving can be physically stressful, but is that what's causing this health concern?

A: There's more to it than the physical chores. Three out of four caregivers report they are not getting to their own doctor appointments. One-third are not going to a dentist. We learned 21 percent of the women are not getting their annual mammogram as they should and 10 percent are misusing alcohol and prescription drugs to cope.

Q: How much time does the average caregiver spend giving care?

A: We found 37 percent spend more than 40 hours a week and 30 percent between 20 and 40 hours. Most feel no one else in the family will step up and do the job or help them out.

Q: Certainly family help is important.

A: The majority would like to talk to someone who could help them identify tasks other family members or friends could help doing. They need to be taught how to get that cooperation. They need a care coach.

Q: So they want some sort of social service support?

A: Of course. The majority want an expert they can call about the stress they feel and other caregiving issues. And don't forget, many of today's caregivers also are still in the workforce.

Q: What about just taking a break? There are support groups for caregivers but not a lot of respite care programs.

A: In December, the Lifespan Respite Care Act was signed into law. It recognizes that caregivers are providing 80 percent of the long-term care in the U.S., a level of care valued at $306 billion a year. The new law authorizes $289 million over five years for state grants to develop Lifespan Respite Programs to help families access affordable respite care.

We're still not sure how this will be implemented, but at least it is a start.

Q: What does Evercare do for caregivers?

A: We coordinate health care and services for people who are older or have disabilities. The Evercare Solutions for Caregivers program provides caregiving support, assistance and services through employer work-life programs and a variety of services, like rides to doctor appointments, for enrollees who are on Medicare and Medicaid.

Q: What do caregivers need the most, in your opinion?

A: They need to know someone cares about them. They need to know how to access services. State and county agencies need to make more caregiver services available.