Caregiving has always been a stressful and demanding responsibility, and the pandemic has made it even rougher, as revealed in new research.
Published in The Gerontologist, the study looked at family caregivers (most caring for peopled aged 65) compared to non-caregivers, and discovered significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression and disturbed sleep amongst the caregivers. They also found that caregivers had greater concerns over finances and food.
Reported in the New York Times, in the piece the writer speaks to a few caregivers and their experience through the past year (including one woman feeling the impact of 2020 while her husband’s Alzheimer’s disease progressed). It also touches on more findings based on an online panel that explored how the pandemic has impacted caregivers, contrasting between short-term (ie. less than a year) caregivers and those who have been caregivers longer than that. Ongoing and future research will reveal the true, cumulative effect on caregivers as the pandemic continues.
