Caregiving Attitude of Gratitude

Current research is finding that taking care of tired caregivers could be as important as providing care for their care-recipients. And by simply listing what you, as a spousal caregiver, are grateful for can provide you with the much-needed "tender loving care" that you are providing for your spouse -- and that you are typically not receiving from any other source. So the question that I have for you is: "How is your 'attitude of gratitude'?" As we all know, we are often stressed out by the various caregiving activities we perform for our spouses. Jo-Ann Tsang, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology in Baylor University's department of psychology and neuroscience, theorized that something as simple as writing about gratitude will help relieve that stress. Specifically, in order to show the link between gratitude and health, she is analyzing just how gratefulness impacts the lives of men and women who care for loved ones with Alzheimer's disease. "Caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Tsang, "is a prime example of unlimited love. There is a lot of sacrifice involved, a lot of cost, and no reward." While her research is focused on Alzheimer's caregivers, the results of that research can be extrapolated to all caregivers -- especially spousal caregivers. In order to better understand how to help caregivers, Dr. Tsang had half of the research group fill out what she called "gratitude journals" in which the participants listed what they were grateful for each day. The other half of the research group filled out what she called "hardship journals" in which the participants listed the hardships incurred each day. Both groups wrote in their journals for two weeks. While the data has not been statistically analyzed yet, Dr. Tsang theorizes that those who completed the gratitude journals will have increases in their respective psychological well-being, general health, and life satisfaction. Previous research with college students found that gratitude had improved their physical and cognitive health. Since caregivers are dealing with much more serious issues, an emphasis on gratitude could conceivably help them cope with their daily problems more effectively. Dr. Tsang is modeling her research after other studies regarding gratitude and well-being that were conducted by University of California at Davis, and University of Miami in Florida. Both found that people who kept weekly gratitude journals felt much better about their lives as a whole and were much more optimistic about the upcoming week than people who recorded life's hassles or various neutral life events. According to the study, "gratitude journals increased (people's) awareness of gratitude-provoking circumstances in their lives." Dr. Tsang thinks that there may be a correlation between gratitude and religion. "The different world religions tell people that they should be grateful, or religious people have more practice being grateful," she said. Therefore, the concept of gratitude journals may help religious caregivers to better provide care for their loved ones. The Davis campus at the University of California is also conducting a series of experiments that suggest that "counting your blessings leads to improved physical and mental functioning." According to the study, "When people consciously practice grateful living, their happiness will go up and their ability to withstand negative events will improve as does their immunity to anger, envy, resentment, and depression." I have a GREAT "attitude of gratitude" -- how about you?