Spousal Caregivers Are Caregiving Alone In The Last Years Of Life.

ABSTRACT: Caregiving in the last years of life is associated with increased depression and negative health outcomes for surviving spouses, many of whom are themselves in poor health. Yet it is unclear how often spouses are caregiving alone, how they differ from supported spouses, and whether lack of support affects postbereavement outcomes. We hypothesized that spouses who were solo caregivers-that is, the only caregivers (paid or unpaid) who provided assistance with a spouse's self-care or household activities-would experience more depression after bereavement than supported spouses would. Using information from the Health and Retirement Study, we found that 55 percent of the spouses of community-dwelling married people with disability were solo caregivers. Solo caregiving was even common among peo

SUBMITTER: Ornstein KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6760240 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature