Spirituality/Medicine Interface Project

Spirituality and Caring for Older Family Members

Authors: Lisa P. Gwyther, MSW

Abstract

“There is an inescapably religious dimension to the caregiving experience. The self-sacrifice entailed in caregiving may be the closest brush with transcendence that most people will ever experience as we recognize the illusions of self-sufficiency and the realities of mutual dependence in a world of greater risks than the vast majority of us can bear.”1


The physical and emotional risks of providing long-term family care (particularly for female family caregivers of persons with dementia) are a significant public health issue.2 This kind of chronic stress has well-documented physical and mental health consequences. Recent research finds prayer the most frequently cited alternative therapy for health concerns, particularly among African-American women.3African-American daughter caregivers who reported a strong religious faith were found to have less depression, greater self-acceptance and perhaps a higher threshold for perception of caregiver stress.4

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References

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8. Gwyther LP. You are One of Us: Successful Clergy/Church Connections to Alzheimer's Families.Durham, Duke University Medical Center, 1995.
 
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