"Resnick, of the Institute on Aging at the University of Pittsburgh, said the most telling statistic about U.S. caregivers was that they bear more than $200 billion a year in caregiving costs. Bernard, deputy director of the National Institute on Aging, said that many caregivers had health problems they ignored. She said research showed that after receiving training on their relative's disease, caregivers' pressures and depression tended to decrease." ABC World News with Diane Sawyer with noted geriatricians Neil Resnick and Marie A. Bernard.
All this week on ABC's evening news there will be features about the crisis of caregiving. While this series appears to deal more with eldercare (those of us who are dementia caregivers may or may not be also dealing with elders) and what people should do with "mom and dad", there is still valuable information for us. Being caregivers takes an average of 10 years off one's own life, 70% of us are women, and less than 3% of America's physicians have much training in geriatrics. I am hoping the series will offer some concrete suggestions on resources and how to lessen the stress upon us who are caregivers for someone with dementia.
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