Older adults caring for older adults: Physically active leisure lifestyles as a copingresource for the health of caregivers

There is growing evidence that caregiving workloads contribute to increased stress and decreased leisure participation. Given that physically active leisure can be an important coping resource for older adults, increases in stress and decreases in leisure may put the health of older caregivers in double jeopardy. A model of the impact of caregiver workload on physically active leisure, role-related stress, and physical and mental health, and the role of physically active leisure in ameliorating the negative effects of workload was developed and tested using structural equation modeling procedures. One hundred and fifty-two primary caregivers of individuals 60 years of age or over who were, themselves, 60 years of age or over, participated in a survey of lifestyle and caregiving experiences. Higher caregiving workloads were significantly linked to higher levels of role-related stress and poorer physical health, which in turn, were linked to lower levels of psychological well-being and higher levels of depression. However, having a physically active leisure lifestyle contributed to better physical health and less role-related stress mitigating to some extent the negative effects of workload. Physically active leisure did not appear to be directly affected by caregiver workload; however, other factors involved in living closer to care receivers appear to have a negative influence on frequency of participation in physically active leisure.