Older carers fare better

While depression rates tend to be higher among carers, new research suggests older people are able to cope with the strain better than younger ones.

The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) found that older female carers are much less likely to experience depression than younger women who are looking after a person with a disability.

More than a quarter of female carers between the ages of 18 and 35 involved in the survey reported experiencing depressive symptoms but less than 15 per cent of female carers aged 65 and over reported depression.

“In the general population, the rates of mental health problems for older people are generally lower so we weren’t surprised to find lower rates of mental health problems with older carers,” said study co-author, Dr Ben Edwards from the AIFS.

The study which was based on more than 1000 phone interviews conducted in 2006, included an analysis of the mental health and vitality of female carers by age and caring status.

No age-specific data was available for men because there was a shortage of male carers in some age groups.

The study found that older female carers had better overall mental health than younger carers, as did older women generally.

The ‘gap’ between the mental health ratings of female carers and women in the general population also decreased with age.

A similar trend was observed with the findings for vitality, with older female carers (65 and over) actually having better vitality than older women without any caring responsibilities.

“That is quite interesting,” said Dr Edwards. “I think in part, it reflects the fact that older carers do need to be fairly robust and strong to care for somebody else.”

“The carers who can continue to care keep caring and those who can’t may be more likely to put their disabled or frail relative into care.”

The results were measured using the five-item Mental Health Inventory and Vitality subscale from the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36.