While it’s impossible to keep track of every person who provides caregiving in a given year, it’s estimated that over 50 million Americans participate in caregiving each year. Nearly half of those are over the age of 50, meaning the added stresses caused by caregiving can have an impact on their own health as well.
There’s often a lack of understanding when it comes to the challenges that caretakers face. Even if they’re only spending an hour per day on caregiving activities, that’s still a significant portion of their day that can’t be spent on anything else. While it’s possible that this hour could be replacing activities like watching television, it’s more likely that people will sacrifice things like cooking healthy meals or going to the gym. As stresses add up more and more, people’s ability to consistently choose good habits significantly decreases. Finding the right resources to help with caregiving can make the difference between a balanced, happy life and one of constant sacrifice.
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