VOA标准英语2012--Caregivers, Chronically Ill Under More Stress

Caregivers, Chronically² Ill Under More Stress

Americans are under considerable stress, according to a new survey by the American Psychological Association.

Nearly half of the respondents reported an increase in stress over the last five years. 

While money, work and the economy were cited as the major causes, stress levels were particularly acute among people with chronic¹ diseases or those caring for aging or chronically ill family members. 

Caregivers report higher levels of stress, poorer health and a greater tendency to engage in unhealthy behaviors to alleviate³ their stress than the general public.

When Jillian Downs was pregnant she got some bad news. Her baby had cystic fibrosis, a genetic⁴ disease that causes sticky thick mucus to build up in the lungs and create life-threating infections. It also complicates⁵ the digestive system making it more difficult for the body to absorb nutrients⁶ and food. 

Life expectation at the time was 32, Downs' age.

Now, seven years later her daughter Ava begins her day in a big stuffed chair in the living room. She buckles⁷ up a special electric vest, that gently inflates⁸ and deflates. The pressure works loose any mucus in her lungs. Ava does the vest therapy twice a day, every day.

Downs says it has become a routine, as have other daily prescribed medications such as inhalants and dozens of pills including enzyme⁹ capsules before every meal and snack. “This is what we know. This is what she knows." 

But there’s a whole list of other concerns, says Ava's father Philip, “We need to pay attention to her diet, her weight, her hydration, monitor her vitamin D levels and extra vitamins.”

Caring for loved one 

Jillian and Philip Downs are among millions of caregivers in the United States, who manage children with special needs, or aging or chronically ill family members. And that number is likely to grow as the number of older Americans is expected to double by 2030, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

For Suzanne Mintz, caregiving is her whole life. “I have it in my day job and I have it at home.”

Mintz is president of the National Family Caregivers Association, an advocacy and support organization she founded not long after her husband Steven was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the early 1990s. 

Her life didn’t change much in the beginning, but over the years and her husband’s condition worsened, she had to do more. Now she helps him get out of bed, shower, dress, eat and move in and out of a wheel chair. Mintz says it hasn’t been easy on their marriage.

“I haven’t always dealt with it. I’ve had serious depression several times. But I think we finally learned how to deal with each other.”

Mintz says things improved once she realized that asking for help wasn’t a sign of weakness, but simply recognition that she couldn’t do everything on her own. “I just think that it’s absolutely important to get help. Some people have a hard time asking for it, I understand that, but sooner or later you have to for multiple reasons.” 

Steven Mintz adds, that the other side of it has been accepting help, “which hasn’t been easy.”

Support Network 

They both agree that it is important to deal directly with one’s stress, an idea underscored by a panel of experts at the release of the annual American Psychological Association Stress in America survey. 

One of the experts was Katherine Nordal, who specializes in the treatment of stress-related disorders¹⁰ says caregivers do better when they are plugged into a support system. 

“The caregiver group seems to be much, much better when they are plugged into some sort of a support system. They demonstrate less isolation¹¹, less loneliness, better coping strategies, less depression, less irritability¹² and less risk of chronic disease when they are plugged into those family and friends and other sorts of community-based support systems.”

Communication Relieves Stress

For Jillian and Philip Downs, whose daughter has cystic fibrosis, say that support comes from a network of cystic fibrosis care centers and local groups that raise funds for a cure. But perhaps most importantly, they support each other. 

Philip says they haven’t figured out the magic formula for managing stress, but that communication is a big part of it. We have, I think, a common sense approach where my happiness is dependent on her happiness. 

So if she’s stressed out, I know that I am not going to be at my best. So we need to communicate that and try to support each other the best way we can. 

Jillian says they are lucky. “We don’t disagree about what we need to do for Ava and ourselves.”

With Ava’s chronic illness and, now, the prospect¹³ of a new baby on the way, the Downs know their stresses are far from over. But they are confident they will make it through.

1 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

2 chronically   

ad.长期地

参考例句：

• Similarly, any pigment nevus that is chronically irritated should be excised. 同样，凡是经常受慢性刺激的各种色素痣切勿予以切除。
• People chronically exposed to chlorine develop some degree of tolerance. 人长期接触氯气可以产生某种程度的耐受性。

3 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

4 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

5 complicates   

使复杂化( complicate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• What complicates the issue is the burden of history. 历史的重负使问题复杂化了。
• Russia as a great and ambitious power gravely complicates the situation. 俄国作为一个强大而有野心的国家，使得局势异常复杂。

6 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 buckles   

搭扣，扣环( buckle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She gazed proudly at the shiny buckles on her shoes. 她骄傲地注视着鞋上闪亮的扣环。
• When the plate becomes unstable, it buckles laterally. 当板失去稳定时，就发生横向屈曲。

8 inflates   

v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的第三人称单数 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨

参考例句：

• Mass advertising often inflates prices rather than reducing them. 大宗广告常常是抬高物价而不是降低。 来自辞典例句
• The device periodically inflates the cuff and takes a blood pressure reading. 定期气囊打气及进行血压读数。 来自互联网

9 enzyme   

n.酵素，酶

参考例句：

• Above a certain temperature,the enzyme molecule will become unfolded.超过一定温度，酶分子将会展开。
• An enzyme that dissolves the fibrin of blood clots.能溶解血凝块中的纤维的酶。

10 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

12 irritability   

n.易怒

参考例句：

• It was the almost furtive restlessness and irritability that had possessed him. 那是一种一直纠缠着他的隐秘的不安和烦恼。
• All organisms have irritability while alive. 所有生物体活着时都有应激性。

13 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。