Skip to main content

Men Are Family Caregivers, Too

When we think of family caregivers, most of us likely picture an older woman caring for a spouse or an adult daughter tending to her parents. While it is true that female caregivers still outnumber men, the gap is smaller than ever before. For the first time, men make up almost fifty percent of family caregivers.


This change can be attributed to a variety of reasons, including:

  • Higher numbers of women working outside the home
  • Smaller nuclear families with fewer siblings to share care
  • More men recognizing and self-identifying their role as caregivers

Trends in Family Caregiving

What other trends are occurring in family caregiving?

Turns out, quite a lot. According to a Genworth Financial study, today’s caregivers are significantly younger than in past years. Fifty-eight percent of family caregivers are between ages twenty-five and fifty-four. The average age in 2018 was forty-seven versus fifty-three in 2010.

With the decline in age, the impact on the lives of family caregivers has become even more pronounced. Especially when combined with another important change: care recipients need more assistance due to accidents than illness. That’s different than in the past.

In 2010, only eleven percent of older adults needed support because of an accident. Today, that number has soared to twenty-one percent. The sudden nature of an accident-related injury may leave families unprepared to cover a loved one’s needs.

How Caregiving Impacts Families

The Genworth survey also revealed how caregiving is impacting families. While eighty-two percent of loved ones say they have experienced positive feelings due to their role as care provider, there are challenges:

  • Fifty percent of caregivers cited less time to spend with their spouse and children
  • Forty-seven percent said the demands and duties of caregiving negatively impacted their health
  • Forty-one percent suffered from mood swings and depression
  • Fifty-three percent said caregiving increased their stress

The financial toll of family caregiving can also be significant. A few of the issues caregivers raised during the survey included:

  • Cutting back on personal expenditures to pay for caregiving expenses
  • Dipping into or reducing contributions to savings to cover the costs associated with caregiving
  • Selling possessions to help finance a loved one’s care
  • Missing work to tend to their family member
  • Cutting back on work schedules or even losing their jobs
  • Feeling their careers suffered because of caregiving

For these family members, making time to explore senior care options may be the key. From adult day centers to in-home care, respite care, and assisted living, there are many avenues of support available.

Call Sunrise Senior Living for Help

If you are a family caregiver struggling to juggle all your roles and responsibilities, we invite you to call Sunrise Senior Living at 888-434-4648. One of our experienced team members will be happy to assist you in identifying what type of care may be a good fit for your loved one.




from Sunrise Senior Living Blog /blog/november-2019/men-are-family-caregivers-too.aspx?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Connection Between Aging, Exercise, and Healthy Lungs

Enjoying a long and healthy retirement requires taking good care of yourself. While many people focus on living a heart-smart lifestyle, taking proactive steps to maintain healthy lungs is essential, too. As we age, the lungs become weaker and less flexible. This can contribute to a variety of diseases and chronic health conditions. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute , lung-related illnesses are the 3rd leading cause of death in this country. That includes lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma—adding up to nearly 235,000 deaths a year. Here are a few tips you can use to keep your lungs healthy: Stop smoking. Talk with your primary care physician about smoking cessation programs. Avoid secondhand smoke. Research shows it can be just as deadly as being a smoker. Stay away from harsh chemicals. It’s important to avoid breathing in damaging fumes (e.g., home cleaners and weed killers). Prevent infections. Many infections can lead to
Post a Comment
Read more

How You Can Join the Fight Against Alzheimer’s

World Alzheimer’s Month in September is an opportunity to raise awareness about this complex disease and to challenge the stigmas surrounding dementia. Launched in 2012, the awareness month spotlights the fact that 2 out of every 3 people globally believe there is little understanding of dementia in their countries. More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia and it is the 6 th leading cause of death in the US, according to the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual report. With the senior population growing quickly, Alzheimer’s and dementia cases will continue to increase as well, unless researchers can find a cure. This upcoming Monday, Sept. 21, is World Alzheimer’s Day, a call to action for all of us to educate ourselves on how to take preventative steps, identify symptoms and support loved ones who have been diagnosed. Read more below to learn how to join the fight to end Alzheimer’s disease. Know the Warning Signs Detecting Alzheimer’s disease e
Post a Comment
Read more

Film Screening at Samvedna Senior Care

On 30th September, 2019, Samvedna Senior Care Foundation hosted the 2nd film festival of generations in association with Heidelberg University, Germany. The film Sputnik Moment – 30 years and beyond was screened at our senior citizen centre in Gurgaon for our members and staff. The film highlighted how senior citizens in Germany and the US were taking up second careers to fill their time, engage meaningfully and also get support through additional income. Post the screening Dr. Martin Gieselmann, Executive Secretary, SAI, Heidelberg University and Dr. Constanze, Coordinator DAAD Project, Heidelberg University along with our team engaged with the audience in an interesting discussion on the Indian scenario. Members shared that in India it is not easy for senior citizens to pick up jobs after retirement, however it was interesting to see that many in the audience did have jobs post retirement. They also spoke about stereotypes and social attitudes towards ageing and shared their per
Post a Comment
Read more