How Does Ageism & Age Discrimination Affect Older Adults' Health
Listen To My Latest Podcast Episode:How Does Ageism & Age Discrimination Affect Older Adults' Health
Lower Caregiver Stress with Proven Resilience Strategies - with William Haley, PhD
Feb 02, 2021
We have a narrative in society that says that caregivers have more depression and stress, spend their caregiving years suffering, only to lead to premature death. Our guest today shares a more balanced and factual narrative about caregivers.
Yes, many caregivers do indeed have increased rates of stress and depression. Research shows, however, that caregivers are remarkably resilient and actually DO NOT have a reduced lifespan as a result of caregiving.
Our guest today, Dr. William Haley, Professor of Aging Studies, reveals how caregiving actually affects caregivers and shares several resilience strategies you can use (starting today) to bolster your resilience and lower your stress. Listen until the end for all the great tips and strategies.
Here's a peak inside my interview with Dr. William Haley:
[04:02] Dr. Haley shares his story: Where he's from and what inspired him to study aging and caregiving.
[8:23] Learn about a stress and coping model tailored just for caregivers.
[14:33] Caregivers are more physically and psychologically resilient than we give them credit for. Learn all about caregiver resilience here.
[18:18] It used to be thought that the stresses of caregiving shortened our life span. But the reality is that caregivers who are stressed and depressed are actually living longer than non-caregivers who are stressed and depressed.
[21:14] There are many benefits to finding meaning as a caregiver, one of the benefits being that it helps you cope with stress.
[33:03] Dr. Haley summarized his recommendations of ways caregivers can bolster their resilience.
Want a quick tip? Click on this video clip for proven resilience strategies that you can start using today.
About Dr. William Haley
Dr. William Haley is a Professor in the School of Aging Studies at the University of South Florida. His research has focused on stress and coping in family caregivers of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, cancer, and terminal illness. He has a special interest in caregiving and diversity, resilience to stress, and developing and evaluating interventions for caregivers. He has published over 170 peer reviewed research articles and serves on the Editorial Boards of several prominent journals in the field of aging. He has been President of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Society of Clinical Geropsychology and Division of Adult Development and Aging, and was Chair of the APA Committee on Aging. Dr. Haley has also been honored as a Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Gerontological Society of America, and APA. Dr. William Haley completed his PhD in Clinical Psychology, and a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Geriatric Clinical Psychology at the University of Washington-Seattle.
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I'm a Board Certified Clinical Psychologist and Gerontologist specializing with older adults and families! As founder and CEO of Gero Champions, LLC and the Psychology of Aging Podcast, my mission is to help mental health and senior care providers meet the mental health and sexual health needs of older adults using up to date, evidence-based, and culturally thoughtful care.
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Older adults have mental health needs just like everyone else. But here’s the thing: Older adults are often left out of the conversation when it comes to mental health and wellness. Together we can change this.
I created the Psychology of Aging Podcast to have conversations about mental health and wellness that include older adults. We talk about common mental health concerns as we age, resources to help older adults live their best lives, and we have fun doing it.
