From Serving in the Military to Serving Loved Ones: Unique Experiences of Older Veteran Caregivers

Objective: We examined whether older caregiving veterans differ from noncaregiving
veterans in terms of health and psychosocial factors and how these factors
and caregiving aspects (i.e., hours, relationship type) relate to caregiving strain and
reward. We also evaluated two hypotheses: (1) combat exposure provides protection
from emotional caregiving strain, and (2) grandparenting is particularly rewarding.
Methods: We used a cross-sectional web survey of a nationally representative sample
of older veterans in the United States. Data were drawn from the National Health and
Resilience in Veterans Study, and participants were 2,025 U.S. veterans aged 60 or
older (mean: 71.0; SD: 7.1; range: 60e96). Participants completed measures of
caregiving status, sociodemographic characteristics, combat exposure, physical and
mental health, cognitive status, and psychosocial characteristics. Caregivers reported
caregiving hours, caregiving type, emotional and physical strain, and reward.
Results: A total of 20.4% of U.S. older veterans are caregivers. As predicted, among the
veteran caregivers, (1) combat exposure was associated with less emotional caregiving
strain (odds ratio [OR]: 0.57), and (2) grandparenting was associated with
increased perception of caregiving reward (OR: 5.28). Resilience was negatively
associated with physical strain, whereas depressive symptoms were associated with
greater emotional strain; gratitude, happiness, and social support were additionally
associated with greater reward. Caregivers were more likely to be married and highly
educated than noncaregivers but did not differ with respect to health or psychosocial
characteristics. Conclusion: One in five older U.S. veterans is a caregiver. Older
veterans’ combat exposure may decrease the emotional demands of caregiving, and
grandparenting is perceived as particularly rewarding. Results suggest that older
veterans are an important caregiving resource that deserves tailored resources.