THE IMPACT OF CARING UPON THE HEALTH OF OLDER WOMEN

Much community care relies upon the provision of unpaid care by family members. The short- and longer-term effects of providing care upon ol der women were researched in an interview survey of 286 women aged ove r 50 in urban and rural areas of Queensland. The findings were validat ed by reports from the women's general practitioners. The results sugg est that providing care has both short- and longterm negative effects upon the physical health and emotional wellbeing of older women. The m ajor predictor of a range of self-reported health problems was the lev el of self-reported stress. Implications are drawn for both community care policy, which needs to focus upon the impact on the carer of cont inuing to provide care at home, and for health research relating to ol der women, which has ignored the demands of caring among older people.