The Health Burden of Caregivers

Gilbert Brenes-Camacho, Universidad de Costa Rica

The population aging process has increased the relevance of caregivers. The article tries to investigate the health effects of this burden, especially the so-called caregivers’ stress, among middle-aged Costa Ricans, using the new cohort of the CRELES study: respondents were born between 1945 and 1955 (aged 55 to 66 at baseline). People who take care of their parents are more likely to show higher points in Yesavage Geriatric Depression scale and report to be stressed due the health of relatives, unlike those that take care of their children, their parents-in-law, or others. However, there is no evidence of differentials in deleterious biomarker levels (cholesterol, HbA1C, C-reactive protein) associated with allostatic load among these caretakers compared to non-caretakers.