January 29, 2019
Freedman finds older caregivers report worse well-being when providing less than an hour of assistance than those reporting 2 hours or more
Vicki Freedman and colleagues say while this finding runs counter to established thinking that caring for more hours poses a greater psychological burden on family and other unpaid caregivers, “It may be that these marginally involved caregivers find it harder to incorporate care into their busy lives,” Freedman said. “Or it could be those with worse well-being are less able to take on a more substantial caregiving role.”
The original journal article, Time Use and Experienced Wellbeing of Older Caregivers: A Sequence Analysis, appears in The Gerontologist.