What Caregiving Does to Your Brain — And Why It Matters

This is the second in a series of posts dedicated to the multitude of individuals in caregiving roles who feel the emotional cognitive and physical weight of their responsibilities.

Join us February 5-8 in Santa Fe for a Caregivers Wellness Workshop focusing on the Brain, Body and Boundaries, hosted by the Modern Elder Academy.

Many caregivers say the same thing, quietly, almost apologetically:

“I don’t feel as sharp as I used to.”

“I don’t have anything intelligent to say anymore”

“I can’t think clearly—What is happening to ME?””

“My memory isn’t what it was.”

Brain Under Stress 

This is not your imagination — and it is not about failing.

Caregiving places the brain under sustained stress. Chronic emotional strain, disrupted sleep, hypervigilance, and decision fatigue activate stress pathways that, over time, affect memory, attention, mood, and long-term cognitive health.

When stress becomes constant, the brain doesn’t get a chance to reset.

Research shows that caregivers experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, sleep disruption, and physical illness than non-caregivers. Over time, chronic stress is linked to increased risk for cardiovascular disease, immune dysfunction, and neurodegenerative conditions.

And here’s the part caregivers rarely hear:

Your brain matters too.

Understanding how stress, sleep, nutrition, and emotional load affect the aging brain isn’t about fear — it’s about agency. The brain is adaptable. Protective strategies exist. And even small, well-timed changes can support cognitive resilience.

This workshop brings neuroscience out of the lab and into real life.

Participants learn:

• How caregiving stress affects brain health

• Why sleep and emotional regulation are not luxuries

• Practical tools to protect cognitive vitality — even during demanding seasons

• How to recognize early warning signs of overload in themselves

Caregivers are often so focused on another person’s decline that they overlook their own quiet erosion.

This is an invitation to interrupt that pattern — not with guilt, but with knowledge and compassion.

You deserve to understand what’s happening in your own body and brain.And you deserve tools that help you stay well — not just get through.

Join us on the Modern Elder Academy campus outside of Santa Fe for an opportunity to reset you brain, discover the value of quiet reflection and interact with others who feel much the same way as you. 

Caregiver Wellness: Brain, Body & Boundaries

This three-day, in-person wellness program for family and professional caregivers is focused on mitigating caregiver burnout and supporting long-term cognitive, emotional, and physical resilience. Taking place February 5–8, 2026 at the Rising Circle Ranch, the program integrates neuroscience, aging research, psychosocial insight, and applied caregiving strategies. Participants will engage in evidence-informed learning, facilitated dialogue, and reflective practice designed to support sustainable caregiving, effective boundary-setting, and caregiver advocacy. The workshop is intentionally limited in size to support depth of engagement and peer learning.

Cost, including food, lodging and tuition is $2600 with significant scholarships available. 

The setting is one of quiet nature with horses, donkeys, ranch dogs ... and more than a few hawks and eagles. Located in the New Mexico high desert for a transformative experience that will leave you feeling more deeply connected to nature and yourself.

For more information you are encouraged to book a call or contact Barbara Kreisman, Barbara.Kreisman@du.edu, founder of Purposeful-Aging.org and author of this newsletter.

Learn More