Caregiving is undoubtedly a trying profession, one in which professionals may experience physical and emotional depletion. It is for this reason that eldercare professionals have raised concerns about workforce issues, as people associate caregiver positions with long hours and a grueling workload. Recently, researchers from the University of Washington analyzed the psychological toll that caregiving can take in a study published by the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
According to a press release published by ScienceDaily, researchers sought to compare groups of female twins, a portion of whom worked as caregivers. Interestingly, they discovered "that the associations between caregiving and different types of psychological distress (depression, anxiety, perceived stress and perceived mental health) depend largely on a person's genes and upbringing — and less so on the difficulty of caregiving," the source states.
In layman's terms, individuals with a history of depression or an established difficulty managing stress are more likely to experience harsher symptoms, as caregiving can act "as salt in the wound." Most Senior Providers are aware that certain personality types are better predisposed to caregiving than others, but given how many Americans have taken on the role of informal caregiver in recent years, it's clear that eldercare professionals must reach out to ease this pressure.
Innovations including Independa's telecare suite can help Senior Providers do just that by facilitating independent living through remote monitoring, video chat and other advancements. Aging in place is widely preferred among older adults across America, and the increased adoption of telecare solutions can make this a reality for a large swath of this population. Contact us through our online form today to find out more about our offerings.
