Aging Family Caregiver Health

AADMD INFO BLAST - FOR AADMD MEMBERS
From colleagues at the University of Illinois - Chicago, Institute on Disability and Human Development. Appreciate the submission of this from Larry Weishaar of Rescare and Dr Matt Holder. The health status of aging caregivers supporting your patients will eventually impact on the healthcare status of your patients; thus the impact of this article is high.
Rick Rader, MD, AADMD

Study finds a higher prevalence of chronic health conditions, including arthritis, high blood pressure, obesity, and activity limitations for older caregivers of adults with developmental disabilities than for the general population of older women. For more information on this study, see the policy brief from the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Aging with Developmental Disabilities : Lifespan Health and Function, Institute on Disability and Human Development, University ofIllinois at Chicago.

"The presence of chronic health conditions likely limits caregivers’ capacity to provide care for their family members, and when their health begins to interfere with their ability to care, family caregivers often have few other family members to whom they can shift their caring responsibility."