The stress associated with caring for an ill family member has resulted in health issues for caregivers. The Center on Aging found that more than 1 in 10 caregivers say that the role of being a caregiver has caused their own health to decline.
According to the Family Caregiver Alliance caregivers:
• Show higher levels of depression
• Suffer from high levels of stress and frustration
• Are in worse health
• Have an increased risk of heart disease
• Have lower levels of self-care
• Pay the ultimate price for providing care—increased mortality
The demands on family caregivers can be overwhelming especially when trying to do this on their own or without some support. Respite Care provides a temporary break from the challenges faced by the family caregiver. The caregiver is no good to the person needing assistance when they become ill. Without family caregivers looking after their loved ones in their home, they would require placement in facilities costing lots of money.
Signs of caregiver stress
As a caregiver, you may be so focused on your loved one that you don’t see how caregiving affects your own health and well-being.
The signs of caregiver stress include:
Feeling burdened or worrying most of the time.
Tired often.
Not getting enough sleep or sleeping too much.
Gaining or losing weight.
Becoming easily irritated or angry.
Losing interest in activities you used to enjoy.
Feeling sad.
Frequent headaches or other pains or health problems.
Misusing alcohol or drugs, including prescription medicines.
Missing your appointments.
Employee Absenteeism
Companies are losing over $30B annually in lost productivity from employees caring for elderly loved ones. Employees who care for a senior, cost businesses 8% more in healthcare costs. Caregiving has a substantial impact on business. Employee absenteeism hurts every business. Having to replace employees who had to quit to provide care for an aging loved one, can have serious financial consequences to employers.
For instance:
• The cost to businesses to replace employees who quit their jobs because of their caregiving responsibilities has been estimated at over $3 billion.
• Absenteeism among employees that are caregivers due to caregiving responsibilities costs businesses millions of dollars and the numbers keep climbing.
• Extended lunch breaks, leaving work early or arriving late cost businesses because of partial absenteeism. Women caregiving has been estimated at $327 million. Caregiving-related workday interruptions add another $3+ billion to the burden bottom line.
People are taking more time off from work these days to care for a senior loved one than ever before.
• Eldercare – Almost half of all adults in their 40s and 50s (sandwich generation) have a parent age 65 and older and are financially supporting a grown child (18 or older)
Other areas include:
• Mental health – Research shows that roughly 1 out of every 5 millennials suffer from depression
• Substance abuse – About 1 in 4 adults in the US has either a mental or substance abuse disorder
Getting employees back to work quicker and under less stress is key to most businesses. Providing them the right resources will only help the situation.