CAREGIVING

☐Care Support Packs

☐Hair, Skin, Nails - coming soon

☐Total Spectrum Support

☐Resveratrol

☐Super Strength Immune Booster

☐Protein Powder

☐Food Diary

☐Cookbook

☐StrengthMate

☐Take Care Tips by Jennifer Antkowiak

☐Caring Questions by Jennifer Antkowiak

What is a caregiver?

A caregiver is anyone who provides help to another person in need. Usually, the person receiving care has a condition such as dementia, cancer, or brain injury and needs help with basic daily tasks. Caregivers help with many things such as:

• grocery shopping
  
• house cleaning
  
• cooking
  
• shopping
  
• paying bills
  
• giving medicine
  
• bathing
  
• using the toilet
  
• dressing
  
• eating
  

People who are not paid to provide care are known as informal caregivers or family caregivers. The most common type of informal caregiving relationship is an adult child caring for an elderly parent. Other types of caregiving relationships include:

• adults caring for other relatives, such as grandparents, siblings, aunts, and uncles
  
• spouses caring for elderly husbands or wives
  
• middle-aged parents caring for severely disabled adult children
  
• adults caring for friends and neighbors
  
• children caring for a disabled parent or elderly grandparent

What is caregiver stress?

Caregiver stress is the emotional and physical strain of caregiving. It can take many forms. For instance, you may feel:

• frustrated and angry taking care of someone with dementia who often wanders away or becomes easily upset
  
• guilty because you think that you should be able to provide better care, despite all the other things that you have to do
  
• lonely because all the time you spend caregiving has hurt your social life
  
• exhausted when you go to bed at night

Caregiver stress appears to affect women more than men. About 75 percent of caregivers who report feeling very strained emotionally, physically, or financially are women.

Although caregiving can be challenging, it is important to note that it can also have its rewards. It can give you a feeling of giving back to a loved one. It can also make you feel needed and can lead to a stronger relationship with the person receiving care. About half of caregivers report that:

• they appreciate life more as a result of their caregiving experience
  
• caregiving has made them feel good about themselves 
  

Can caregiver stress affect my health?

Although most caregivers are in good health, it is not uncommon for caregivers to have serious health problems. Research shows that caregivers:

• are more likely to be have symptoms of depression or anxiety
  
• are more likely to have a long-term medical problem, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or arthritis
  
• have higher levels of stress hormones
  
• spend more days sick with an infectious disease
  
• have a weaker immune response to the influenza, or flu, vaccine
  
• have slower wound healing
  
• have higher levels of obesity
  
• may be at higher risk for mental decline, including problems with memory and paying attention

One research study found that elderly people who felt stressed while taking care of their disabled spouses were 63 percent more likely to die within 4 years than caregivers who were not feeling stressed.

Part of the reason that caregivers often have health problems is that they are less likely to take good care of themselves. For instance, women caregivers, compared with women who are not caregivers, are less likely to:

• get needed medical care
  
• fill a prescription because of the cost
  
• get a mammogram

Also, caregivers report that, compared with the time before they became caregivers, they are less likely to:

• get enough sleep
  
• cook healthy meals
  
• get enough physical activity