Health Problems of Family Members Who Are Caregivers

Research and statistics show that family members who are caregivers are often less healthy than non-caregivers, and that they may neglect themselves in order to take care of others.

Doctors refer to the family caregivers as "hidden patients" and the term "caregiver burden" describes the physical, emotional, and financial toll of family members providing care.

The website for the AARP(American Association of Retired Persons), has an article discussing the exhaustion, stresses, and health problems of caregivers. The article discusses signs of caregiver burnout and what to do.

In a search of the internet for caregivers vs. noncaregivers I found a lot of research divided into groups. For example, I found studies of elderly spouses taking care of a spouse, sandwich generation caregivers taking care of elderly parents and children, and caregivers of people with Alzheimer's or Dementia.

There are also many blogs about caregivers for people who have specific medical conditions, and their stories and coping mechanisms are discussed.