Caregivers have a mortality rate that is 63% higher than non-caregivers of the same age.
"caregivers die at a rate that is 63% higher than people their age who are not caregivers." (said at 0:56:09)
The 63% figure comes from the 1999 Caregiver Health Effects Study (Schulz & Beach, JAMA), but it applies specifically to older spousal caregivers (aged 66 to 96) who reported experiencing mental or emotional strain, rather than all caregivers generally. In that study, caregivers who provided care without reporting strain did not have a statistically significant increase in mortality risk compared to noncaregiving controls (RR 1.08; 95% CI, 0.61–1.90).
- partial: Caregiving as a risk factor for mortality: the Caregiver Health Effects Study. (JAMA 1999)
"After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, prevalent disease, and subclinical cardiovascular disease, participants who were providing care and experiencing caregiver strain had mortality risks that were 63% higher than noncaregiving controls (relative risk [RR], 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-2.65). Participants who were providing care but not experiencing strain (RR, 1.08; 95 % CI, 0.61-1.90) and those with a disabled spouse who were not providing care (RR, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.73-2.58) did not have elevated adjusted mortality rates relative to the noncaregiving controls." (abstract, results, passage verified)
pubmedfull study (doi)