Nearly a third of adults living in Douglas County are family caregivers who could be at risk for heart disease, diabetes, depression and various other physical and emotional maladies as a result of caregiver distress, a potentially dangerous condition brought on by the pressures of caring for a senior loved one.

Studies increasingly point to caregiving as a leading stressor for families. In fact, one U.S. study revealed that more than half of those caring for individuals with diseases including cancer or Alzheimer’s had scores indicating depression.

In response to this growing issue, the local Home Instead Senior Care office has launched a public awareness campaign — Family Caregiver Stress Relief at FamilyCaregiverStressRelief.com — to help family caregivers determine if they are at risk for distress and to minimize problems before they escalate.

Included in the program are two new tools: The Are You a Caregiver Quiz, which is designed to help a family caregiver self-identify and recognize the role of a caregiver, and the Family Caregiver Distress Assessment, adapted for the Home Instead Senior Care network by Dr. Peter Vitaliano of the University of Washington. The assessment allows caregivers to determine their risk for distress and resulting emotional and physical issues, including depression, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

A recent Home Instead Senior Care study discovered that caregivers are prone to hiding their emotions and, as a result, their health suffers. Approximately 74 percent of caregivers who hide their feelings report fatigue, 53 percent report difficulty sleeping, 37 percent report depression, and 30 percent weight gain or loss.

Research shows that certain characteristics make family caregivers more vulnerable to caregiver distress, the top being:

• Gender: Women report more psychological distress than men (however, male caregivers have more negative physiological responses to caregiving, including higher blood sugar and insulin levels, poorer cholesterol and immune function, and obesity).

• Reluctance to ask for help: Caregivers who won’t ask for help are setting themselves up for the kind of exhaustion that can lead to distress.

• Chronic illness: Caregivers who are already sick or have existing medical conditions, such as coronary disease, hypertension and cancer, are more vulnerable to additional negative health effects resulting from caregiver stress.

For more information about the services of the Home Instead Senior Care office serving Lawrence and Douglas County, call (785) 272-6101 or visit www.homeinstead.com/584. In Lawrence, call (785) 856-8181.