ABSTRACT
The provision of ongoing care to an impaired older friend or relative is often a stressful experience that impacts the mental and physical health of the caregiver. Because caregiving sometimes has severe consequences for the health of the caregiver, and because these individuals are an invaluable resource to the rapidly growing population of older adults, in the past decade research on the health effects of caregiving has become both more common and more rigorously conducted. Many of the advances made in understanding the consequences of caregiving have resulted from the application of theoretical models and methodologies borrowed from health psychology.
