Caregiver Burden and Geriatric Well-Being: A Literature Synthesis with Reference to Assam

Abstract

The world's rapidly aging population is demanding for caregiving. In the Indian context, especially in Assam, family members are the main caregivers for senior citizens. Although providing care guarantees emotional support, caregivers frequently experience significant financial, emotional, and physical strain. Elderly people's mental health and general well-being are directly impacted by this caregiving load, in addition to the caregivers themselves. With a particular emphasis on Assamese research and publications, this paper conducts a literature-based synthesis to investigate the connection between caregiver burden and geriatric mental health.

Secondary data has been gathered from government reports, doctoral theses, published articles, and Assamese-language literature on mental health, family care, and aging. The study focuses on important issues like stress, anxiety, depression, and social isolation in older adults and demonstrates how the caregiving environment affects these outcomes. Assamese cultural customs are also given particular consideration. The study comes to the conclusion that although family caregiving is still crucial to elder care in Assam, growing caregiver burdens frequently result in mental health issues for senior citizens. It demands awareness campaigns, more organized community support networks, and mental health treatments that are adapted to the sociocultural context of Assam. This literature synthesis helps us to understand the importance of the topic by placing geriatric mental health within a regional framework of Assam.

Keywords: Caregiver Stress, Geriatric Mental health, Modernization, Family Care