Benefits of Adult Day for Caregivers
Keeping an elderly loved one at home for as long as possible is a goal that many families share. Caregiving, though, can be physically and emotionally exhausting. According to recent research:
- Twenty-three percent of family caregivers caring for loved ones for five years or more report their health is fair or poor (Caregiving in the United States; National Alliance for Caregiving in collaboration with AARP; November 2009)
- A caregiver’s immune system weakens, thus increasing their chances of developing a chronic illness themselves (Drs. Janice-Kiecolt Glaser and Ronald Glaser, “Chronic stress and age-related increases in the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6” in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, June 30, 2003)
- Twenty percent of employed female caregivers over 50 years old report symptoms of depression compared to 8 percent of their non-caregiving peers (MetLife Study of Working Caregivers and Employer Health Costs; National Alliance for Caregiving and MetLife Mature Market Institute. February 2010)
- The stress of caregiving can prematurely age a caregiver and take as many as 10 years off a family caregiver’s life (Elissa S. Epel, Dept of Psychiatry, Univ of Calif, SF, et al; From the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dec 7, 2004, Vol 101, No. 49)
Using adult day health care allows caregivers to maintain their own health and balance their own responsibilities while honoring the senior’s wish to live at home for as long as possible. With a highly trained medical and professional team attuned to clients’ health and wellness, caregivers are able to continue working, take a well-deserved break, attend to other responsibilities, and maintain their own physical and emotional health.
Listen to members and family caregivers from AGE’s Adult Day Health Center:
94% Strongly Agree that: “As caregiver, I feel less stressed when my family member/client is at the Adult Day Health Center.”
97% Caregivers Surveyed Agree or Strongly agreed: “As a caregiver, their life is more manageable since their family member began attending the AGE Adult Day Centers.”
100% Agree or Strongly Agree that: “I am pleased with the services the AGE Adult Day Centers provide.”
97% Agree or Strongly Agree that: “Their family member benefits from the daily exercise and activities.”
Adult day health care centers care for older adults with a variety of health needs who cannot be alone during the day because of memory loss, social isolation, illness, or disability. With the support of adult day health services, these older adults who require support are able to continue living in their homes or with their families.
