New research suggests that simple daily activities, from practicing gratitude to enjoying a favorite pastime, may help dementia caregivers manage stress and improve emotional well-being.
By EEW Magazine Online Health & Wellness Editors
About two-thirds of the 12.7 million Americans caring for a loved one with dementia are women.
For millions of women, caregiving starts before breakfast and runs long after everyone else has gone to bed. There are pills to sort, appointments to book and meals to cook, along with a loved one who needs help getting dressed, eating or remembering what day it is. Somewhere in the middle of caring for everyone else, their own needs slide to the bottom of the list.
A new University of Michigan study suggests a few minutes set aside for something good may help. Family caregivers of people living with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias reported less depression, less caregiving stress and better moods on days they took part in simple positive activities. The research was published in September in Frontiers in Dementia and highlighted by Michigan Medicine.
For 14 days, 20 caregivers used Roadmap, a University of Michigan app that offers eight positive activities, including a gratitude journal. They were prompted twice a day to try one and answered a short well-being survey each night.
Caregivers in the University of Michigan study completed positive activities, such as gratitude journaling, on 87% of study days.
Gratitude is also at the heart of "Finding Gratitude in the Dark: 28 Days to See God's Goodness More Clearly," a new devotional by Dianna Hobbs, founder and editor-in-chief of EEW Magazine Online. The book, released Nov. 2 on Kindle, grew out of a gratitude series she wrote in 2019 for Your Daily Cup of Inspiration, her devotional blog.
"EEW receives so many messages from women who are depleted and don't know how to make room for themselves," Hobbs said. "Making thankfulness part of your daily practice and jotting down a few simple reasons you're grateful can help a lot."
The study's caregivers stuck with it, completing positive activities on 87% of study days. On those days, they reported lower depression, rated caregiving as less stressful and described a more positive mood.
The findings are early. The study was small, lasted two weeks and had no comparison group, so researchers cannot say the activities caused the better days. The team says a larger randomized trial is needed.
The need is large. The Alzheimer's Association's 2026 Facts and Figures report found that 12.7 million unpaid caregivers looked after someone living with Alzheimer's or another dementia in 2025. About two-thirds are women, and 59% report high or very high emotional stress.
For Black women, that load often sits on top of other pressures. The Caregiving in the U.S. 2025 report from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving found that financial strain falls hardest on younger, lower-income, Black and Latinocaregivers. It also found that 36% of Black caregivers are raising children under 18 while caring for an adult loved one.
The activities are small by design. In a caregiver's day, that might look like a favorite song while folding laundry, a cup of tea on the porch or a line in a notebook about something good. The National Institute on Aging offers similar advice: take breaks each day, keep up with hobbies and spend time with friends.
Self-care has limits when a woman is running on empty, and sometimes she needs someone to step in. The NIA encourages caregivers to ask for specific help, such as making a meal or taking their loved one out for a short time, and to lean on adult day programs, home health services and support groups.
For churches, the chance to help may be sitting a few pews away. The member who drives her mother to every appointment may welcome a meal, a phone call or an afternoon off while someone else sits with her mother.
Caregivers dealing with persistent sadness, anxiety, trouble sleeping or stress that will not lift should talk with a doctor or licensed counselor.
The Michigan team plans larger studies. For now, the early results suggest a few deliberate minutes of good can steady a caregiver on a hard day. The people around her can help make sure she gets them.
For information about dementia caregiving, local support programs and respite resources, call the Alzheimer's Association's free 24/7 Helpline at 800-272-3900 or visit alz.org.
