Survey Reveals How Caregivers Deal With Stress
By: Source: AARP Bulletin Today Date Posted: May 2005
To cope with the stresses of caring for someone old, infirm or in need, Americans turn to God, their friends and family and, sometimes, the Internet, according to a new national survey.
"Prayer is the best way to refresh yourself," says one Toledo, Ohio, caregiver. "I find a quiet place and pray and cry and get relief. Then I can go back into the room calm."
The survey, Caregiving in the U.S., was conducted for the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP. Three-fourths of the 1,247 respondents said they dealt with the demands of caregiving through prayer, while 61 percent talked with friends and relatives. About 44 percent read books on caregiving, 41 percent exercised to work off stress, and 33 percent coped by going online for information and contact with other caregivers.
The survey estimates that 44.4 million Americans today are unpaid caregivers—and 59 percent of them either work or have worked while providing care. Almost 40 percent of all caregivers are males.
Read the survey, which was funded by the MetLife Foundation, online.
preview