In Sickness and in Health-Marriage and Caregiving: A Proposed Workshop for Future and Current Spousal Caregivers

The marriage relationship is one of the most important relationships for older adults. This relationship can act as a protectorate for the difficulties presented by the natural aging process. This is especially true when one spouse develops an acute or chronic illness, rendering them dependent on care from an informal source. The responsibility of informal caregiving typically falls upon the spouse. While this responsibility can be incredibly burdensome, evidence shows that a positive marriage relationship can act as a buffer to the many strains presented by spousal caregiving. Themes from the Social Exchange Theory suggest that the reciprocity of positive and supporting behaviors between a spousal caregiver and the care-recipient provides the mediating effects necessary to not only promote positive marital satisfaction, but also to maintain a healthy level of general life satisfaction. Utilizing empirical data as well as information collected from local senior organizations, initial work has begun on a project titled "In Sickness and in Health- Marriage and Caregiving: A Proposed Workshop for Future and Current Spousal Caregivers." The information provided from this workshop to spousal caregivers in the community is designed to encourage those who currently are or potentially will be involved in spousal caregiving. It is presumed that attendees will be better equipped to face spousal c