stress

Caregiving’s Sunny Side

Posted on 02/15/2012 by | Caregiving | Comments

Caregiving | Home & FamilyAn un-news flash: Caring for a spouse, parent, other family member or friend can cause mental and physical stress. Frankly, many caregivers would rather be doing anything but. Or would they? A new study from the Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College reveals that older Americans who are highly engaged in caregiving have enhanced well-being. In fact, it rates right up there with paid work, education and training, and volunteering. The study measured levels of engagement in …

Caregivers: Reach Out and Call Someone

Posted on 02/10/2012 by | Caregiving | Comments

Caregiving | Home & FamilyIn the same year Margie Harris’s marriage imploded, her elderly mother had a stroke and moved into her San Antonio home. A big enough disaster, but her mother had been living with, and taking care of, Harris’s blind brother. Talk about stress! It turns out, that’s exactly what Harris, 59, wanted to do–talk about stress with other overwhelmed caregivers. But, she had no time to leave the house. Not a problem, thanks to The Caregivers Tele-Connection, a free one-hour telephone program …

‘Tis the Season: Don’t Let the Holidays Stress You Out

Posted on 11/28/2011 by | General News | Comments

Personal Health | Your LifeThis is a guest post by Annie Lynsen, on loan to AARP from Small Act. It’s the most wonderful time of the year…and the craziest. In between the shopping and cooking and parties and family gatherings, most of us will get precious few moments of peace and quiet in the next few weeks. But by stressing out, you could be making yourself sick. Too much stress can lead to heart problems, digestive problems, and decreased immune functioning that can bring …

Caregivers May Benefit From Their Role

Posted on 10/21/2011 by | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Caregiving | Personal Health | Relationships | Your LifeFinally some good news about caregiving! I recently spoke with Dr. Lisa Fredman,  a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics  at the Boston University School of Public Health, who has been studying the effects of caregiving on stress levels. She and her colleagues have been following about 1,000 older women, 375 of whom were caregivers. Not surprisingly, the caregivers showed significantly more stress than non-caregivers. What amazed me, though, was how that stress actually affected – or didn’t affect – the …

Waiting for an Update from 6,000 Miles Away

Posted on 08/22/2011 by | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Caregiving | RelationshipsAs the primary caregiver for my parents, taking a vacation is challenging for me.  Actually, taking any kind of time away from them is difficult, whether it’s getting away for work, taking care of my own health or seeing friends and other family members.  One of the reasons is that every day I’m away, a crisis seems to inevitably occur. Even my parents’ neighbors comment that the emergencies always seem to happen when I’m out of town. This week has …

Wonder Dog Reminds Me What’s Important

Posted on 08/16/2011 by | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Caregiving | RelationshipsSome days, amid the stress and demands of caregiving, I get so overwhelmed that I forget about the important things. Fortunately, life has a way of jerking me back into focus. One day not too long ago, my Dad had an endoscopy, which consumed a big chunk of his — and my — time. I took him to the medical center, waited nervously while the procedure took place, then, relieved he was okay, brought him home. Next on the agenda …

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