Caregiving can actually provide a health advantage as well for some caregivers. Caregivers maintained higher physical performance when compared to noncaregivers. They declined less in tasks than the low-intensity caregivers and noncaregivers such as: walking pace, grip strength, and the speed with which they could rise from a chair. Caregivers also did significantly better on memory tasks than did non-caregivers over a 2-year time frame. Caregivers scored at the level of someone 10 years younger than them, although both groups (caregivers vs. noncaregivers) were both in their eighties.
While this role brings with it high costs, high rewards are also there too. This is known as “Caregiver gain”. These rewards are emotional, psychological, and spiritual such as:
- Growing confidence in one’s ability
- Feelings of personal satisfaction
- Increased family closeness
Women who become caregivers are healthy enough to take on the task, therefore it makes sense that they would be stronger than their non-caregiver counterparts, and remain stronger than them. The demands of caregiving cause caregivers to move around a lot, and stay on their feet. Therefore, exercise can improve both physical health and cognition. The complex thought as required by caregiving can ward off cognitive decline. This includes activities such as:
- Monitoring medications
- Scheduling
- Financial responsibilities