Stress dimensions among caregivers of the elderly

Urbanisation, nuclearisation of family, migration and dual career families are making elder care more and more of a personal and social problem in India. Increasing life span and poor health care add to the degree of disability among the elderly and compound the problems of caregiving. The caregiver, who is usually a spouse or the daughter-in-law in an Indian family find it increasingly stressful to meet the care needs of disabled and frail elderly in the family. With the prospect of this situation worsening in the coming decades, ways and means need to be examined of managing the stress effectively. There is a growing need for interventions not only to manage the stress of caregiving but also to ensure the mental health of this vulnerable group and to evolve a policy to meet the care/needs of disabled elderly.