Michael S. Clark, Ph.D.
Flinders University
Adelaide, Australia

2004 Investigator-Initiated Research Grant

The nervous and hormone systems in the body are a kind of team for maintaining an appropriate balance in function and adapting the body to changes in the environment. They control things like our sleep-wake cycle and the “boost” of energy needed to respond to a crisis. This balancing act is referred to as allostasis.

Normally, this response system is good for the body. But if the “adaptability switches” are constantly “turned on” because of certain stressors, the physiological responses, such as elevated blood pressure, can damage the body. The cumulative effect on the body of the switches always being on or being turned off and on inefficiently is called allostatic load.

Michael Clark, Ph.D., and colleagues are investigating how allostatic load may be associated with poor health in caregivers for people with dementia. The current study is a follow-up to three years of tracking new caregivers, former caregivers and noncaregivers. The investigators have assessed and will continue to measure markers of allostatic load (certain hormone levels), the presence of general and caregiver-specific stressors, and health status.

The current goal is determine if there is an association between allostatic load and long-term health outcomes. This work may clarify the relationship between caregiver stress and health and may provide a foundation for developing interventions to maintain health, both during and after the caregiving experience.