According to the results of a new study of the health of caregivers, there is mounting evidence that explains why caregivers often become patients themselves while caring for a loved one.

Individuals caring for a spouse with dementia show four times greater annual increases than non caregivers in interleukin-6 (IL-6), a key immune system molecule linked in previous studies to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, adult-onset diabetes, and a greater likelihood of death, Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser and colleagues report in the June 30 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Health care is the fastest growing industry in the United States and Home Health Care is the fastest growing segment of that market. Currently Home Health care is an industry that employs over 1,300,000 people and has revenues of over 72 Billion Dollars annually.