Elder care and the impact of caregiver strain on the health of employed caregivers

Abstract

As the baby-boom generation moves towards middle age, and their parents toward old age, the number of employees who combine care for an elderly dependant and work will increase in number. These employees are "at risk" of experiencing caregiver strain. This paper advances our understanding of these trends by examining the relationship between caregiver strain and the health of employed caregivers. Our study involved the analysis of data from the 2001 Canadian National Work, Family and Lifestyle Study (N= 31,517). MANOVA was used to determine the relationship between caregiver strain and three situational factors: (1) gender; (2) where the care recipient lives compared to the caregiver; and, (3) family type. Regression was used to determine the relationship between caregiver strain and mental health. We found that caregiver strain depends on gender, family type and location of care. Emotional strain was a significant predictor of mental health. These findings support the need for organizations to expand their thinking around work-life balance to include employees who have eldercare responsibilities.