A shortened life for caregivers?

According to the September 20 ScienceDaily, there’s new “concrete evidence that the effects of chronic stress can be seen both at the genetic and molecular level in chronic caregivers' bodies.” (Accelerated Telomere Erosion Is Associated with a Declining Immune Function of Caregivers of Alzheimer’s Disease Patients. J Immunol 2007 179: 4249-4254.)

What that means for caregivers--spouses and children who care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease in this case—may be a shorter life expectancy by four to eight years.

The study, published in the Journal of Immunology, was done by a group from Ohio State University's Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research including director Ronald Glaser, professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics; Jan Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychology and psychiatry; and Nan-ping Weng and other researchers from the National Institute of Aging.

The group has been looking at the effects of psychological stress on immune status in many different groups. In an earlier study, they showed chromosomal damage and premature aging in mothers of chronically ill children.

Interestingly, the Institute is also investigating whether yoga can reduce levels of stress hormones. While many people believe that to be true, there’s no scientific evidence—yet.

So there’s another good reason to help caregivers. This fall, watch for all the opportunities around Milwaukee. A few follow:

• On October 4, we’re sponsoring a caregiver training event in Milwaukee that talks about one source of stress--lack of health insurance--and one intervention that might help caregivers and the people they care for stay healthier—better nutrition.

• October 29-31 in Port Washington, the Wisconsin Alliance for Family Caregiving is offering a train-the-trainer session for people interested in using the curriculum Taking Care of You: Powerful Tools for Caregiving.

• And Saturday, November 3, there’s a free all day event for caregivers at Mount Mary College, Caring for the Caregiver: an Event for the Mind, Body, and Spirit. This event is sponsored by the Milwaukee Aging Consortium, Interfaith-Family Caregiver Support Network, Milwaukee Center for Independence, IndependenceFirst, Golden Living, New Health Service, Stowell Associates SelectStaff, and Interfaith Older Adult Programs, Inc. To register or for more information, call 414-220-8600.