Health and Emotional Benefits of Eldercare

We know the perils of being in the Sandwich Generation: stress, burnout, depression, even feelings of despair. But it doesn't have to be that way. New research found that helping loved ones can actually make you healthier.

The study by University of Buffalo psychologist Michael Poulin looked at 73 people who were caring for sick spouses. They found that caregivers experience more positive emotions and fewer negative ones when they were actively giving care, such as feeding and bathing, rather than simply being near in case anything went wrong.

A 2008 study of couples over 70 by Stephanie Brown of the University of Michigan found that those who provided significant care for a sick spouse had a reduced risk of death themselves.

A key factor found by Poulin's study was the quality of the relationship between caregiver and the one cared for.

One variable that did affect outcome was the level of perceived interdependence with the spouse experienced by the caregiver — that is, the extent to which caregivers viewed themselves as sharing a mutually beneficial relationship with their spouse.

Gail Sheehy, author of 15 books including the iconic Passages, has a new one: Passages in Caregiving: Turning Chaos into Confidence. The book describes her experience caring for her husband, magazine editor Clay Felker, over a 17-year-long battle with cancer. She and told USA Today that it's a book "about periods of living with reprieves and learning to reinvigorate your lust for life.

This mirrors what lead researcher Michael Poulin says about his study:

"Overall," he says, "we wouldn't say that caring for an ailing loved one is going to be good for you or healthy for you, but certain activities may be beneficial, especially in high-quality relationships."

One of the families in Sheehy's book, the Colberts, was able to bring the family matriarch back from a diagnosis of failure to thrive and a lingering death in a nursing home. The seven siblings and their families formed a circle of care to take care of her at home. Says Louis Colbert, "You learn to see caregiving as a privilege — and a lot of fun."