The Impact of Caregiving on the Health and Well-being of Kenyan Luo Grandparents

Abstract

As the HIV/AIDS pandemic progresses in Africa, elders are increasingly responsible for the care of orphans. Several reports suggest that elderly Africans do not have the resources to provide care and are at risk of poor health, but few studies have systematically measured health of caregivers. The Kenyan Grandparents Study is a longitudinal study designed to compare elder Luo caregivers to noncaregiving peers. Several measures of health were collected, including body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, glucose, and hemoglobin. In addition, self-perceived health and mental health were measured using the MOS Short-Form 36 (SF-36). It was hypothesized that caregivers would have poorer health than noncaregivers and that the difference in health would widen over the three waves of the study. Caregiving did not affect physical health but did act to decrease mental health and perceived health over time.

“My Legs Affect Me a Lot. … I Can No Longer Walk to the Forest to Fetch Firewood”: Challenges Related to Health and the Performance of Daily Tasks for Older Women in a High HIV Context

“…Caregiving responsibilities can be stressful, resulting in poor health, which may be why caregivers in Kenya report more health problems, more health visits, and poorer self-assessed health than noncaregivers (Ice et al, 2010). As found in the Kenyan study, however, caregiving did not significantly decrease mental health, suggesting that the role may give parents/grandparents a sense of love and fulfillment, reducing negative feelings (Ice et al, 2010).…”

“…"Secondary role strain" can occur when caregiver responsibilities conflict with women's other roles (Ice et al, 2010). Rather than living out their lives as respected and cared-for elders, which is expected in this cultural milieu, the women in this study are financially and socially responsible for many of their grandchildren.…”

“…Feeling overwhelmed and worried about family members can negatively impact relationships with kin and the ability to complete expected tasks such as household chores (Mudege & Ezeh, 2009;Schatz, 2007). Older women in these settings generally report worse physical and mental health, and poorer overall quality of life, than their male counterparts (Gómez-Olivé, Thorogood, Clark, Kahn, & Tollman, 2010;Ice, Yogo, Heh, & Juma, 2010). Declining physical health due to aging-including hypertension, chronic pain, and decreased movement-can lead to decreased performance of domestic duties (Mudege & Ezeh, 2009).…”

Transitions in Caregiving and Health Dynamics of Caregivers for People With AIDS

“…The probability of being a caregiver may, therefore, not be random with certain individuals more likely to be caregivers than others based on their ability as well as willingness to take on caregiving (Ice et al, 2010).…”

Cumulative Effects of HIV Illness and Caring for Children Orphaned by AIDS on Anxiety Symptoms Among Adults Caring for Children in HIV-Endemic South Africa

“…1 In HIV-endemic communities, adults caring for these children face financial, social, and educational costs associated with care provision. [2][3][4] Caregivers also report poor health outcomes, [4][5][6] including poor psychological outcomes.…”