Who are these caregivers?
The Alzheimer’s Association has collected statistics on this as well. The burden falls disproportionately on women, who many up two-thirds of all dementia caregivers. 25% of dementia caregivers are “sandwich generation,” meaning they are taking care of both an aging parent and their own children. Approximately 30% of caregivers are age 65 or older. The majority of caregivers work full-time on top of their caregiving responsibilities. The duration of caregiving can be very long, with more than half of caregivers assuming this role for more than four years.
It goes without saying that taking care of a loved one, particularly someone with dementia, is no easy task. First of all, there is a significant financial burden. The average total lifetime cost of care for an individual with dementia is more than $337,000. 70% of this cost is borne by caregivers, both due to the labor value of unpaid caregiving and the costs of providing medications and other resources.
It goes without saying that taking care of a loved one, particularly someone with dementia, is no easy task. First of all, there is a significant financial burden. The average total lifetime cost of care for an individual with dementia is more than $337,000. 70% of this cost is borne by caregivers, both due to the labor value of unpaid caregiving and the costs of providing medications and other resources.
Caregivers mental health
Caregiving also has a mental and physical health impact. Nearly 60% of dementia caregivers report high or very high levels of stress, and rates of depression and anxiety are much higher among caregivers than the general public. Caregiver stress was likely worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic due to closures of adult day-care centers and reduced access to long-term care facilities. This strain, combined with sleep loss, financial stress, and other factors, can make it difficult for caregivers to maintain their own physical health. Caregivers have higher rates of many health issues, including hypertension, slow wound healing, and impaired immune function.
Taking care of the caretakers
Despite these negative statistics, there are strategies that caretakers can employ to reduce their levels of stress. One recent study found that self-compassion (defined as treating oneself kindly, such as holding a positive self-image and viewing situations optimistically) was associated with reduced caregiver burden and increased use of positive coping strategies. Additionally, more than 70% of caregivers do not take advantage of caregiver support groups, which are a shown to be an effective means for decreasing stress levels and increasing social integration.
Many public interventions to assist dementia caregivers have been proposed, such as case management, counseling, and respite care. Most of these have had mixed outcomes; a large meta-review found that challenges in the reporting and classification of these interventions has made it difficult to quantify their levels of success. More studies are needed in this area. Additionally, many of these interventions are currently not widely accessible, particularly to low-income caregivers. It is up to our government agencies to fund research on dementia caregiving and broadly implement science-supported interventions.
Many public interventions to assist dementia caregivers have been proposed, such as case management, counseling, and respite care. Most of these have had mixed outcomes; a large meta-review found that challenges in the reporting and classification of these interventions has made it difficult to quantify their levels of success. More studies are needed in this area. Additionally, many of these interventions are currently not widely accessible, particularly to low-income caregivers. It is up to our government agencies to fund research on dementia caregiving and broadly implement science-supported interventions.
Benefits
Through all of these mechanisms, omega-3s exert their beneficial effects in the body. Research has shown that omega-3s may:
- Reduce the risk of blood clots
- Help to reduce symptoms of depression
- Improve cognitive function in people with age-related cognitive decline
- Reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (a common cause of blindness in older people)
- Support a baby’s brain development (when the mother consumes omega-3s)
- Reduce some of the risk factors for heart disease
- Reduce chronic inflammation in the body, which is linked to a number of serious diseases
- Improve symptoms in people with osteoarthritis