WASHINGTON, DC – The doting daughter who takes care of an elderly parent is just doing what she ought to be doing, some might say. But in many cases, she’s putting her life at risk by devoting days and nights to tend to her loved one’s needs, according to the Association of Mature American Citizens.
“Professional caregivers are on call during their shifts. They deserve respect for what they do. But relations and friends of seniors who need care who take on the super-onerous tasks of tending to the needs of their loved ones deserve not just respect, but a break as well. They are usually on call around the clock with little to show for it but their own failing health in many cases,” says AMAC president Dan Weber.
Dr. Pamela Tronetti who specializes in geriatric medicine recently published a report in Florida Today noting that “caregivers don’t tally up the hours because they reason that they would be doing most of these chores (cooking, cleaning) anyway.” But, while they are doing an important service for others, they need to recognize when they are doing a disservice to themselves, Weber points out.
Tronetti says “the classic caregiver primer is called “The 36 Hour Day,” and for good reason. Instead of being retired and off the clock, caregivers are busy, alert and ready at a moment’s notice and every hour of the day to be the nurse, housekeeper, referee, advocate, diaper changer, cook, laundry service, pharmacist, psychologist and go-fer.”
Forget about the 40-hour-workweek for these “sainted souls,” adds Weber. “They are ready to tackle their jobs all day long and, in many cases, all night long, too.”
Tronetti cited one study in her article. It showed that those who work 35 to 40 hours a week have an average risk of stroke for their age groups and that those who work 41 to 48 hours ha a 10 percent higher chance of having a stroke. But those who worked 49 to 55 hours a week were linked to a 27 to 33 percent increase in their risks for stroke.
“I suspect that many people underestimate the amount of hours dedicated to work. They don’t identify it as such because they are on their own couch instead of in their cubicle, but in reality they are tethered to their jobs, working excess hours without a break,” she reports. “I’ve seen caregivers admitted to the hospital with sleep deprivation, untreated cancer, heart attacks and strokes, and have lost friends and colleagues to sudden death and preventable illness, all because there was work to be done.”
Friends and relations make the best caregivers in most cases because, above all, they have a personal connection to the individuals who need their help, according to Weber. “But at the end of their very long days, the best caregivers are those who take care of themselves as they go about their chores. As Dr. Tronetti put it they need to take time to make time for themselves. They need to see to their own medical conditions and take measures to alleviate stress.”
