I removed my previous since this was from 2013. It looks like it has been resurrected. MaryKathleen is right about this article and study. It needs to be buried.
The article is meaningless. 18% less chance of death, but no mention of caregiver definition in the article. No criteria for the populations of 3500, e.g. did both populations equally represent the same age groups?
And drawing a conclusion comparing 63% of spousal caregivers to general caregivers is really just bad inference. 
From the study definition on the John Hopkins site: "Caregiving: The assistance family, friends and professionals provide to those who are old, sick or otherwise unable to care for themselves." This definition could include children.  
I thought this site was aimed at elder care. Did it expand when I was not looking?

It was good for my soul, as I loved my mom. The 10 years I did it, did post health problems for me caused mostly from stress. Yes, I would do it again.

I am the oldest child in my family and not married, so I decided and my siblings pushed it, that I'd quit my job teaching college overseas to move in with my mother when she needed it. I spent 2 months in the summer and 3 weeks at Xmas with her the 4 years before that, helping make things easier for her in any way I could. She was happy when I moved in in 2014, but it was a big adjustment for both of us. Helping keep her clean and fed was not easy since she rejected most help, but the rest of the time she was a delight. However, due to her dementia, she yelled at me 5-30 times a day, sometimes hitting, too. My stress level went up, nearly to the breaking point, trying to deal with it 24/7 with only a few hours help per week from home helpers. Eventually, I couldn't lift her out of bed when she refused my help, so she went to an assisted living home in 2017, which was ok for her; she often thought she was at home. Then when they couldn't handle it, she went to a nursing home and got progressively weaker but still combative. I went 3-4 days a week, so happy that she still knew me and could play simple games. She died quickly and painlessly in October. So far it has not been very difficult for me. I feel so happy to have been able to care for her for 5 years and relieved that it is over. Perhaps it was easier for me when she died because she had not been at home for 2 years. I am so glad I did it!

I’ve been caring for my mum for over 8 years now at first in her own home and the last 6 years moved her into mine.
Although it was totally my choice I definitely feel caring is having an affect on my and my husbands health. Stress levels are continuing to get worse, our planned retirement has gone out the window. I feel guilty wishing her away but I can see no other way to get my life back. Other family members seem to just get on with theirs and mum causes upset when discussing of respite come up as she doesn’t feel she should have to pay the amount the care home charge. (She has the money).

I never regretted taking care of mom until the end--I did everything humanly possible for her and she lived miraculously until 90 but kept alive with a feeding tube for a long long time and essentially brain dead from Alzheimer's. Liver tumors and liver failure, which led to kidney failure (billirubin in urine will kill the kidneys) killed her. Not Alzheimer's. Nevertheless hospice visited daily and never needed any narcotics; she was very comfortable to the end.

Still I sacrificed all of my productive years for her and I will suffer for the rest of my life. It will impact my retirement (I won't be able) and going back to the job after years and years of being caregiver to survive has been quite unbearably stressful. I'm 60 years old and I lost my mom just a few months ago and I feel lost, abandoned, alone..unloved and unwanted. But at least I got a job and slowly recovering from caregiving.

I advise people to NOT do it. It can last years and years and it is a very emotionally crippling experience to watch your mom slowly die like this. I lost her years ago but it still never prepared me when her body died. Been there..done that..just don't do it. Don't even think about being a caregiver.

I took an excellent university level class on "How To Lie With Statistics". You can make the outcome of a study say anything you want by the questions you ask and the people you ask them to. I have also taken part in these "studies". Therefore, I take all "studies" with a huge grain of salt. I am not talking about studies on the effectiveness of certain medicines.

I love (sarcasm) the title and then this paragraph. "Roth’s own study admittedly has its limitations—specifically, a lack of knowledge of the types of care being provided by the caregivers and the nature and degree of their care recipients’ needs. He mentions that there can be undeniable rewards of family caregiving, but only if highly stressful situations can be avoided or managed effectively." Did you get the "BUT ONLY IF" Geeze.

When the patient suffers from dementia and final stage Parkinsons, there is zero benefit to the caregiver who is effectively wiped out physically and emotionally. End of discussion.

oops. just noticed the date on this nonsense.

Rosier potrayal of caregiving? Sure for the care receiver, but pure fiction for the caregiver especially if dementia is in the mix. Most caregivers are in their late fifties/early sixties not exactly young enough to take on the vigorous role of 24/7 caregiving. Most people who worked all their lives want to enjoy their retirement, not ENJOY taking on a second job as caregiver.

Exactly. Caregiving is not a one size fits all.

The big problem I see with this study is the huge range of what "caregiver" can include. Someone who visits twice a week at a care center and also is the parent's advocate and someone who has 24/7 responsibility will surely have different stress levels and health risks. A caregiver of someone with mid to late stage dementia is in a different situation than a caregiver of someone who is a little forgetful and hard of hearing. All caregiver roles are not created equal in terms of their stress level. All caregivers have a tough job. All deserve support and appreciation. But lumping everyone together and trying to draw conclusions about how caregiving effects health is just plain silly.

I couldn't disagree more. It really depends on the person you are caring for! My sister and I share caregiving of my mom who is in independent living and refuses to move to assisted living which she needs desperately. She is not capable of taking care of herself, and won't admit it so we do it all. She is stubborn, self absorbed, does not cooperate, lies, almost deaf and can't remember what you said or what happened five minutes ago, is starving herself, purging herself with laxatives, refuses to listen, won't take a shower and constantly complains. Two hours of shouting to be heard, repeating the same thing 5-10 times, cajoling, trying to help while listening to her "poor me" about the same thing over and over and over is enough to require either a tranquilizer or glass of wine. Half the time I have intestinal problems the next day. NO, as much as we love Mom, and feel we need to be there to help her, there is NO WAY either of us could live with her and it would mean the end of our marriages. Our husbands don't want to be around her. We are not being mean or selfish, but we are seniors too and our mental and physical health is very much impacted by our mother. Mom needs no meds and never gets sick. She has no health problems other than deafness and a "selectively sore" back. She has fallen several times, gets cuts and stitches only and heals in less than a week. We, on the other hand, both have health problems. She was a good mother when we were growing up, but she has always been like this, a spoiled little girl who is self destructive and incapable of joy, only now, with old age dementia it is worse, unbearable sometimes. We know she cannot help it and will continue to get worse, but that does not change the fact that her living with either of us would be catastrophic. When the time comes, she needs to go to assisted living or managed care to people who are healthier and better able emotionally to deal with her "problems".

I do not believe this at all. I am a caregiver for my mother and I work a 40+ job a week. It is very stressful when you are trying to do your job and your mother calls because once again she pressed the wrong button on the remote. Then she refuses to understand why you cannot leave work and come and fix it. The people who did the study are not caregivers. I am stressed every day and get even more stressed when I am on my way home just wondering what i will walk into.

It is upto the individual and if they can cope.

I don't believe this at all. In my case, my three years of caregiving resulted in huge health consequences.

i dont believe this either. since my caregiving ended i feel like im 10 years younger and dont even require ambien to get to sleep. i miss my mother and carer role but tons of stress are gone now.

If combined families have been in your past while growing up, I do believe taking care of elders is somewhat easier. You do your best to make them comfortable. You make sure they eat. You help keep them clean. You preserve their dignity. You love them. You try not to control them as children, even though that part can be hard. You learn to step back when you have too. Mom cannot remember much anymore, but I know she feels safe with us. That is a lot. But the end game is you cannot do all the things you did before they came to live with you. It is hard to accept that and you will wrestle with this. But if you love them, you will adjust.

I find that difficult to believe. I think Mr Hunt is behind all this as he says elderly adults should live with their children.