« APA, other organizations pledge support to veterans' mental health charity | Main | Chinese government outlines guidelines defining Internet Addiction Disorder »
November 17, 2008
Family caregivers seen as large part of nation's health services
In the Personal Health column in the New York Times (11/11, D9), Jane E. Brody writes that with the increase in the "number of people with severe disabilities, debilitating chronic diseases, and terminal illnesses...concern about their care has focused primarily on" medical facilities.
Yet, "relatively little official attention has been paid to" family caregivers, "who provide the overwhelming bulk of services for people...who are unable to care for themselves." Experts claim that "family caregivers provide an estimated $237 billion in unpaid services" each year, supplying nearly "80 percent of the care for ill or disabled relatives."
According to a study of 1,149 caregivers in the Jan. 2007 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, family caregivers "often have what amounts to a full-time job and then some, providing more than 40 hours a week of demanding work."
Some studies also indicate that "the stress of caregiving can increase a person's risk of depression and anxiety disorders, slow the rate of wound healing, diminish immune responses, and result in a greater incidence of hospitalizations."
Related Links:
- "When Families Take Care of Their Own," Jane Brody, New York Times, Novmber 10, 2008.
Posted by admin at November 17, 2008 11:55 AM