Caregivers need our support

SENIOR MATTERS
by Meg Callaway

    Most people seem to think that living a long time is a good thing, assuming that we keep our mental faculties, our bodies stay in reasonably good shape, and we remain independent enough to do what we most enjoy. Baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, are realizing unprecedented life expectancies. Already, seniors over age 85 are our fastest growing population. While there may be much to gain individually from extended life, there are also major challenges that come with the reality that our loved ones, too, are more likely to grow very old — many of them requiring partial or full assistance with their daily routines.

    Older adults spend an average of 1,400 hours a year providing care to family members. Spouses are primary caregivers for 90 percent of married adults with a disability. Adult sons and daughters make up 80 percent of caregivers for non-married older adults, and more than half of these “children” are 50 years old.
    Ten percent of those over the age of 75 provide care to a spouse. A recent survey of informal caregivers revealed that about 31 percent of caregivers over 75 provide care to a spouse, 16 percent to a sibling, and 20 percent to a friend.
    The burden of being a senior oneself and providing primary care for another older person is substantial. Taking on the care of an older parent often prevents unretired senior caregivers from working full time, resulting in the combined stress of reduced income and increased isolation. Depression and other health problems are common among caregivers, and many actually die sooner than the loved ones in their care. This is of particular concern because we are likely to see increasingly older people taking care of their spouses, siblings, and friends, and caregivers over 75 are now the least likely to receive informal support in their helping role. If the efforts of so many older caregivers are preventing their vulnerable loved ones from requiring more formal and costly care, we must enrich our community resources to protect the health and longevity of senior caregivers.
    Next month’s Senior Matters column will highlight some ways to increase community-based resources for the benefit of dependent seniors and their peers who care for them.
We invite readers to offer feedback about this column and to suggest topics for future articles. You may do so by contacting Meg Callaway of the Charlotte White Center at (207) 947-1410 and mcallaway@charlottewhite.org or Lesley Fernow at (207) 992-6822 and lmfernow@rcn.com.