Men Who Are Caregivers
By Cassie
A trend in health care that is becoming more widely realized is the increasing role of men as caregivers. It is estimated that the number of male caregivers may be in the 40% range. Women have been seen traditionally as the persons with primary care giving responsibilities. As more women have entered the workplace and dual income households have become the standard, men have been thrust into the role of primary caregiver or one who shares the responsibility equally.
Due to increased health care costs and the downturn in the economy it may not be feasible for an elder to reside in an Independent Living or Skilled Nursing Facility. The impact on their families is greater leading to increased stress, financial and marital strain, and caregivers being terminated from jobs for missing too much work. Men especially are affected as they lose their traditional “breadwinner role” and assume a foreign role. At times, this leads to feelings of humiliation, depression and worthlessness.
There are caregiver groups available to men and women to give them a chance to vent and share their thoughts and feelings with others. Overall, men are much less likely to participate in in-person groups leading to isolative behaviors. However, there are places they can turn to such as www.healthcentral.com and www.careging.com for online support and educational groups.
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment