Family Caregiving and Depression in OlderAdults

Abstract

Older adults are at a high risk of developing depression. They are also a rapidly growing part of the population. Often, family members such as spouses and adult children provide the majority of care for older adults with depression. Families of older adults with depression have an important role in the provision of care to those older adults. This responsibility may impose a great amount of stress on the families. Although it is consistently found that close family members have a critical influence in the process of recovering from later life depression, older adults sometimes respond negatively to assistance from their families. The purpose of this article is to understand the effects of the attributes of family caregiving on depressed older adults. Moreover, practical applications and research issues are discussed.

Keywords: Family Caregiving; Depression; Older Adults.