I should be dead by now
According to Science Daily, chronic stress from caring for an Alzheimer’s patient can shorten the caregiver’s life.
While my mother didn’t have Alzheimer’s I can honestly say that I felt/feel physically altered from her illness and death, and, the subsequent care for my father before and after his back surgery.
Mind you, my case may just be waffle retention from the cafeteria due to all those months I spent in the hospital with her, but, I truly can’t imagine the effects this kind of thing must have on an older spouse who is the physical caregiver night and day.
Tags: caregiver-stress, sandwich-generation, Science-Daily
3 opinions for I should be dead by now
Erin - ExpectingExecutive
Sep 20, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Caregiving can be very complicated emotionally, financially and logistically. You may want to check out Minding Our Elders Blog - http://www.mindingoureldersblogs.com
You may find it quite helpful & resourceful.
Erin
http://www.ExpectingExecutive.com
Pete Sampson
Sep 21, 2007 at 11:59 am
For any of your readers who may be interested in the particulars of this, I’ve done my best to put the biochemical mechanism at work into plain language at http://caregivingblog.com/caregiving-news/chronic-stress-and-caregiver-life-expectancy.html
Kim
Sep 23, 2007 at 4:56 pm
After almost five years of having Papa (my FIL) live with us..some days i feel like my life span has been shortened. Not sure how i feel about knowing now that it HAS!
(sometimes we just have to find the humour in life..something I have learned over the last few years)
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