Accompanying a sick or disabled loved one can affect the health of caregivers. This is the conclusion of the report on the health of carers published by the French Association of Caregivers. His observation, drawn from the observation of about fifteen carers, professionals from different sectors, institutional actors and a quantitative survey of 200 carers, points to an unknown consequence of the role of carer. These testify to a weakened health: 48% of carers questioned declared having health problems that they did not have before.
Symptom of this malaise, caregivers sleep poorly. The report observes that 61% of them have had sleep disorders since they accompanied a sick or disabled relative.
63.5% of respondents say they have felt physical pain since becoming a caregiver. Nearly a quarter of carers surveyed say they have increased their medication intake since becoming carers.
Added to these health problems is a feeling of loneliness mentioned by 59% of the panel.
A silent discomfort
Problem, if these tongues were loosened within the framework of the investigation, the daily expression of this uneasiness proves to be less easy. Almost one caregiver in two rarely feels taken into account by health professionals. They feel little listened to but also find it difficult to broach the subject of the difficulties linked to their role: 50% of respondents do not talk about it, according to the report.
There is still a long way to go for a better consideration of the situation of carers, concludes the French Association of Carers. This insists on the importance of better support, in particular by health professionals or local structures.
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