Caregivers: Caring for the Ill and Aging Relatives

There are many older woman who drop out of the labor force to care for ill or againg relatives. On doing so, they forgo Social Security benefits later in life. Therefore the government should give these women credit for the unpaid work they do. I think this is highly important because caregivers are usually the adult children, typically the women, and it last up to seven years. The major reasons why the governemt should give credit to these women include the caregiver burdons and stress, their health declines, and they may have to live in poverty after the loved one passes.

Firstly to define caregiver burdon “ it refers to management of tasks; stress refers to strain felt by the caregiver”. (275 Quadagno, 2014) The strains come from having to handle so much responsibility. It is difficult to try to mangage home life and taking care of ill or againg relatives which is considered a burdon. However, the caregiver feels like it is their responsibility or do not want to see their relatives in nursing homes or hospitals. They also have to worry about everyday things including income and how they will support themselves while trying to take care of those they love. “Family members or friends, provide care to individuals with a variety of conditions including advanced age, dementia, and cancer. This experience is commonly perceived as a chronic stressor.” (Bevans, 2012) This chronic stressor is brought about because they have to watch the ones they love go doen hill. They have to deal with seeing their loved ones not be able to perform the ADLs they used to do so much. Also sometimes they have to deal with the pain that comes from their loved ones not even knowing who they are to them. Then to make matters worse within all this they...

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...delima they will not a home to return to since they give it up to try and cut the expenses. This leaves them broke and homeless after a loved one passes on and then adds more expenses later for themselves. The most horrible thing is the way the cycle goes the caregiver tends to left with nothing.

Works Cited

Quadagno, J. (2014). Aging and the life course an introduction to social gerontology. (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, INC.

Bevans, M. E. (2012). Caregiving burden, stress, and health effects among family caregivers of adult cancer patients. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3304539/

Sheehy, G. (2011). Caregivers need government help or the'yll go broke. USA Today, Retrieved from http://yourlife.usatoday.com/parenting-family/new-passages/story/2011/05/Caregivers-need- government-help-or-theyll-go-broke-/46729532/1