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To most people, ‘caregiving’ means looking after ailing relatives in their final years. But the reality is much different, with the actual workload lasting up to 30 years for some, according to University of Alberta research.
The study, the first of its kind to gauge caregiving across a person’s lifetime, debunks the myth that looking after an ailing loved one is a short, one-off experience, said study lead Janet Fast, a family economist in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences.
“Caregivers often give up a lot. Providing care to a family member or friend with a chronic health condition, disability or aging-related need can go on for just a few years for some caregivers, while it can span several decades for others. Caregiving is not typically viewed as what can be a very emotional and challenging period of time,” she said.