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Today's Rural Caregiving:.../
Other ArticlesBy Linda Lindsey Davis, RN, PhD
Caregiving and Mood
Caring for an increasingly frail elder can be
challenging and family caregivers should be
encouraged not to neglect their own need for
pleasant events. As many as 50% of those family
members involved in long-term care for an elder will
themselves become depressed. Successful respite
services for stressed-out and discouraged caregivers
are those that increase opportunities for their
increasing pleasant events. When families must
function as caregivers, the first major step is to
become expert in recognizing health problems early
and developing practical strategies for managing the
day-to-day occurrence of those problems. This often
means identifying and building in opportunities for
pleasant events.
Linda Lindsey Davis, RN, PhD,
Professor in the UAB School of Nursing and Senior
Scientist in the Center for Aging at the University
of Alabama at Birmingham, is a nurse with more than
two decades of experience in working with elders
with chronic disease and their families. She writes
extensively on family and elder health, chronic
illness, dementia and home care. Currently, Dr.
Davis is the principal investigator for a study
about helpful interventions for family caregivers of
people with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease
funded by the National Institute of Nursing
Research.
