New survey examines financial, social and emotional toll on unpaid caregivers and need for respite

Credit: Annika Urban / US News & World Report

A new report finds caregiving can have a significant impact on the financial, social and emotional health of those providing care. The sacrifices family caregivers make include spending time with friends. The toll leads to caregiver burnout and eventually depression, said Annika Urban with U.S. News & World Report, who conducted the study.

"One of the experts we talked to related to this survey, Neil Shaw, mentioned that depression symptoms show up in over 40% of caregivers across literature," Urban said. "And he says that that loss of hobbies and leisure activities are really what contributes significantly to that depression."

Assistance from home health agencies can provide a reprieve, she said.  

"That can be a really useful thing for people who need to continue having their full-time job in order to, for example, pay," she said. "Because one of the things we did find in this survey was that caregivers, 14%, noted completely resigning from a job due to caregiving duties."

There are 121 home health agencies available across Georgia, and 26 have earned the Best Home Health rating. In the Atlanta metro, there are 27 home health agencies available to residents, and nine are rated Best:

• Amedisys Home Health of Anniston
• Amedisys Northwest Home Health
• Atrium Health Navicent at Home
• Baycare Home Care of Dunedin, FL
• Hamilton Home Health
• Millennium Home Care
• Northeast Georgia Home Health
• Northeast Georgia Home Health of Demorest, GA
• PruittHealth at Home - Gainesville

The full report can be found here.