The changing demographics provide more challenges for caregivers. For example, increased life expectancy, decreased fertility, increased longevity, distances that caregivers must travel to provide care, increased female labor network provide different obligations, the overburdened sandwich generation, and the fact the adult children caring are aging, also.

We're here to provide support, meet and discuss your feelings, memories, and secrets to people who REALLY understand what you are going through on a daily basis.

Stress can cause feelings of burden, strain, physical and psychological impact on certain conditions, or exacerbate existing chronic conditions. Response to demands within and without can tax or exceed available resources. Distress indicates negative and financial strain, anxiety, anger, fatigue, feelings of loss or guilt.

Demographics:

At least 15% of adults provide care  in the U.S. Seven million Americans are involved in caring for a parent or loved one at any given time. The average age of a caregiver is 57 years. In addition, the median age of working caregivers in 45 years with 1/3 to 1/2 employed outside of the home, in addition to caring for a loved one. Twenty to forty percent of caregivers have children under eighteen years of age, and, as we all predict, most often caregivers are spouses or adult daughters.

Adult daughters more often are of geographic proximity, who also have other role responsibilities. If the client has more than one child, they usually look toward the child who provided care in the past. Types of care and care providers include: 

Spouses seem to feel more sense of obligation to provide care, especially to their wives. Older men may have lost their work role, and many seek to provide care, as they are more available. While males tend to provide more Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), such as banking and shopping,  females are more likely to do hands-on  assistance, such as bathing, dressing, and grooming.         (Blum, Gatz, Bengston, "Psychology of Aging")

Motivations of providing care:

Altruism, empathy, feelings of attachment, sense of conectedness, duty, reciprocity, feelings of satisfaction.     (Biegel, Blum: Aging and Caregiving)

These, and many more issues, we will discuss in these support groups, as well as tips to receive and accept for yourself as caregivers.