Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik
Everybody knows how stressful caregiving can be. To constantly offer oneself as support for an ailing elder is exhausting. It takes a toll on not only one’s physical health but also emotional and mental conditions. In exchange for the effort caregivers pour into their service, what do they get in return?
Surprisingly, studies have shown the numerous cognitive benefits of caregiving. Apparently, helping helps with mental stimulation. The constant requirement to resolve a problems and make decisions for someone else is beneficial for both. It’s also sharpening one’s mind to better manage changing situations and living or health conditions.
Without a doubt, caring is rewarding.
It’s fulfilling knowing the meaningful and positive impact one had on another’s life. This is why caregiving may pose numerous risks, but it’s still something most consider a worthwhile experience.
The Ripple Effect—How Helping Helps
Eleanor Gaccetta’s One Caregiver’s Journey captures the reality caregivers face. It doesn’t glorify the burden and hardships these individuals go through. But it also doesn’t discredit the benefits they gain from the experience. While the book presents how caregiving in the new normal means regaining work-life balance, it also cites the wonderful perks they get to enjoy in between.
It’s contradicting logic to believe that helping others helps the caregiver more. After all, the care provided is streamlined toward a singular direction, and they commonly receive nothing in return—safe for payments for their service if it is a profession. However, the moment one works within the care role sparks the realization of the many surprising benefits of caregiving.
What starts as pleasure from overcoming day-to-day hurdles will mature towards a feeling of accomplishment, spurring a greater purpose to one’s life.
The many activities and responsibilities that come with caregiving help caregivers stay grounded and focused on different areas of life. Caregiving becomes an act of constant betterment for oneself, a continuous cycle of learning and growing. Above this, there are also unexpected cognitive benefits of caregiving. It’s surprising how much change and improvement comes from helping others.
What Are Some Cognitive Benefits of Caregiving?
The more people provide care, the more they’ll be able to witness the impact it can have on themselves. Whether it’s simple feats such as learning and accomplishing a new task or learning how to help someone better, the responsibilities of caregiving also touch on cognitive functions and improvements.
Some studies discuss the several cognitive benefits of caregiving; here are some:
Cognitive Stimulation
It’s without doubt that caregiving isn’t only physically arduous. It will also require constant problem-solving and decision-making from caregivers that don’t only impact their personal lives. Their responsibilities ask them to primarily consider the receiver of their service in their decisions.
Caregivers are technically living for two the moment they step into their role.
Quick Solution-Based Thinking
This means they’re constantly bombarded with tasks that challenge and shape their cognitive flexibility. Tasks like managing medications, planning finances, and setting and organizing appointments are regular for their routines. This stimulation helps them improve their mental performance, like memory, executive function, and attention.
Caregivers constantly have to handle multiple responsibilities and create solutions for their patients’ complex needs. They have to creatively come up with solutions that cater to the sensitive nature of their profession. Their responsibilities usually put them under pressure, which only sharpens their cognitive abilities, allowing them to adapt quickly to ever-changing situations.
Mental Agility
On top of shaping themselves to come up with quick resolutions to complex situations, one of the cognitive benefits of caregiving is that it also teaches people to juggle multiple issues or situations simultaneously. The constant exposure to various responsibilities helps increase caregivers’ patience and focus despite having to handle them together.
There’s no better way to shape and enhance cognitive function than constant social interaction, which is a natural part of caregiving. Caregivers must interact with others for the sake of the person they care for. This not only influences their confidence and ability to carry themselves in different social situations but also positively affects their cognitive health.
Social Interaction
Engaging with others will help caregivers cognitively be able to maintain connections. They would have to learn how to properly engage with more people and adjust their nature and bearing depending on who they’re interacting with. The constant need for social interaction will teach caregivers a thing or two about life, opening their eyes to the many perspectives coloring it.
Sense of Purpose
Among the numerous cognitive benefits of caregiving, the sense of purpose it gives caregivers is the most consequential. Caring for someone will not only enhance people’s empathy towards others but also give them a strong sense of their life’s meaning. This will not only boost their motivation to live but will also improve their cognitive functions.
A strong sense of purpose will redirect people to where they’re best suited. This will sharpen their skills as they deal with responsibilities that perfectly align with their strengths.
Caregiving is A Mutually Rewarding Experience
While caregivers offer their services, they receive benefits from their tasks. The cognitive benefits of caregiving are only the peak of what they can enjoy. However, it’s still best to remember that caregiving remains to be demanding and stressful despite these benefits. There is a risk in every gain, a possible depletion to abundance.
If you’re a caregiver, knowing the perfect balance between offering your service and prioritizing your well-being is essential. Learn from the experiences of Eleanor Gaccetta to understand how she’s managed the responsibility passed onto her. Grab a copy of her book One Caregiver’s Journey now!
Recent Comments