TEN MINUTES WITH... GAIL GIBSON HUNT
The president of the National Alliance for Caregiving discusses the findings of the "Evercare® Study of Caregivers in Decline", including both surprises and solutions.
BY:SUSAN STRECKER RICHARD
Caring Today: Why this study?
Gail Gibson Hunt: In a NAC/AARP 2004 study of caregivers, we found that 17 percent of caregivers say they are in fair or poor health, versus nine percent of the entire population as indicated in national CDC studies of self-reported health. And some 35 percent said their health was worse due to caregiving. I talked to the CDC and said, "Wow, we need to examine this more in depth."
We decided to do a new survey and then release the findings at a conference on caregiver health as a public policy issue. To learn more and to design the survey, we went back to caregivers who had reported their health as fair to poor-and worse due to caregiving. We interviewed them in depth and held focus groups. The Evercare® survey then went to 528 caregivers who had similarly described their health and its relation to caregiving.
CT: What were some of the important findings?
GGH: We figured correctly that sleep loss and sleep deprivation would be big. We heard that constantly in the focus groups. But one thing that really stands out is the issue of choice, defined however one might define it. Three-quarters of respondents said they had "no choice" about taking on their caregiving role, often noting that there was no one who would or could help. Some simply said, "This is my husband."
CT: What surprises were revealed?
GGH: The percentage of caregivers who said they were depressed-about 91 percent. We knew those surveyed were doing intense caregiving, 37 percent providing an average of 40 hours a week—twice as much as the average caregiver—and helping with every aspect of daily care. It's a full-time job! I was also surprised at the number of men—15 percent.
CT: What about stress?
GGH: Stress affects every aspect of a caregiver's life-pain, depression, sleep, fitness, even the ability to get one's self to doctor appointments.
CT: Did caregivers say what keeps them going?
GGH: They mention trying to keep a sense of humor and seeing the lighter side. But the number-one thing was prayer. They don't say they turn to "organized religion," but simply to individual prayer.
CT: Did you discover any solutions for common caregiver issues?
GGH: Two excellent ideas emerged. Caregivers would welcome having some kind of 24/7 nurse/social worker hotline-someone to call about issues they face, such as changes in a parent's behavior, and support for themselves. Another idea was mobile health services coming to nearby shopping centers to make it easier to get regular medical check-ups. Actually, Evercare® is thinking of trying this out.
CT: What other interesting solutions are there for caregivers?
GGH: I'm very interested in the ways other countries offer help, especially Sweden. There, they have caregiver resource houses, which are centers where you can bring your family member, go to a support group and, on certain days of the month, a physician is there to take care of the caregiver and give routine exams.
CT: What's the big "takeaway" for our readers?
GGH: It's vital that caregivers focus on their own health. They're not doing enough basic prevention, getting mammograms, eye exams, etc. Many have chronic illnesses-high blood pressure, diabetes-and are not getting medical attention. They need to ask themselves, "What will happen if I get ill?" They need to look at caring for themselves as common sense, like the reminder on airplanes to place the oxygen mask over your own mouth before you place it over your child's. That's the way they need to think.
Besides being president/CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving, Gail Gibson Hunt is a member of the Caring Today Advisory Board.