As medical advances extend our lives and the population ages, it is increasingly inevitable that we will assume the role of caregiver during our lifespan. How can we cultivate grace and resilience for that role?
Today, across the globe, a silent army of informal and uncompensated caregivers provides care for a family member or friend suffering from disease, immobility or the challenges of aging. In the US, that number is 43.5 million strong and growing, as 7 in 10 older adults will need long-term care.
The prevailing view, based on research, is that caregiving is a burden. Not surprisingly, data show that caregivers feel depleted -- susceptible to burnout, fear, and illness.
Yet what is surprising is what I call “The Caregiver’s Paradox:” that, even though experienced as a burden, caregiving is also shown to enhance wellbeing overall. Studies of the lived experience of caregivers reveal individual stories of positive emotions, heightened engagement, enhanced relationships, elevated meaning, and pride of accomplishment– all phenomena that track closely to Martin Seligman’s PERMA model of well-being. This presentation seeks to expand our definition of caregiving to embrace wellbeing, and to outline specific ways caregivers can intentionally cultivate resilience on their caregiving journeys.