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Most caregivers coping well |
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Most Home Caregivers Coping Well
By Beth Haysom
University of Victoria gerontologist Dr. Neena
Chappell has good news for governments preparing to
cope with the demands of an aging
population–caregivers for seniors living in their
own homes are doing just fine, thanks.
This
was one of the findings in a three-year study of
Vancouver Island caregivers undertaken by Chappell
for the UVic Centre on Aging and presented recently
to the Senate Committee on Aging in Ottawa.
Contrary to the widely-held belief that people
caring for the elderly in their homes are close to
burnout and living stress-filled lives, the in-depth
study of 91 caregivers in Greater Victoria, Duncan
and Nanaimo showed that most are coping well.
“In
fact, for the most part, they are astonishingly
resilient,” says Chappell, who is the Canada
Research Chair in Social Gerontology and an
internationally-recognized leader in the field of
seniors’ issues. “They (caregivers) may be burdened,
but at the same time, their quality of life is often
good; they’re proud of what they’re doing and feel
fulfilled.”
This
is important information for government and agencies
providing resources for a society in which about 25
per cent of its population will be over 60 by 2020,
says Chappell.
“Politicians are afraid that offering more supports
for caregivers will open the floodgates of demands,”
she says.
“But
the good news is that all the evidence points to the
fact that this is not going to happen.”
Chappell’s advice to government and seniors’ support
agencies is to target resources for the minority of
seniors’ caregivers who are struggling to cope and
to ensure that home support provided generally for
seniors also takes caregivers’ needs into account.
She
recommends more practical assistance with seniors’
physical needs, such as transport, housework and
bathing, that will help them remain in their homes
longer supported by informal caregivers and save the
government money spent on long-term care.
Chappell’s book Aging in Contemporary Canada, just
released in its second edition, includes a chapter
that focuses on social supports for older adults.
Her findings from the Vancouver Island caregivers
study are expected to be published in Health Watch
and other academic journals.
The
study focused on care-giver coping skills in terms
of burden, stress, self esteem and life
satisfaction. Several caregivers offered suggestions
for staying positive: don’t go it alone; get
counseling if you need it; involve the recipient of
care in decisions; make a point of remembering the
personality of the recipient in their younger days;
take the time to listen well; and take time for
yourself.
For
her next project Chappell wants to continue her
studies of filial piety—the concept, widely-accepted
in Asian society, that young people have a duty and
obligation to care for their elderly relatives—and
how if affects attitudes to aging in Canada and Hong
Kong.
“People tend to think that elderly people in Canada,
as in other western societies, are independent of
their families. It’s another misconception,” says
Chappell. “In fact most Canadian families do look
after their aging parents and do it very well.”
The
study “Caregiving: Why Some Cope Well” was funded by
the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
of Canada.
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Source: The Ring - University of Victoria Community
News - Copyright 2007. All Rights Reserved |
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