Help wanted: energetic person to provide constant companionship to someone who is unable to care for self. Position includes all cooking, housecleaning, yard work and personal care. Must be responsible, creative and alert 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Experience dealing with social security, Medicare, insurance and other agencies a plus. Heavy lifting required. No vacations. No holidays. No pay. Call . . .
Caregiving is not a job that anyone dreams of, but you are either a caregiver, know someone who is, or you can expect to be one. According to a new research study from the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP, "Caregivers reflect the diversity of the United States: they come from every age, gender, race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status."
Based on the respective research by NAC and AARP, in 2015, there were an estimated 43.4 million caregivers in the U.S. Why is this an estimate? Because many ARE caregivers and don't identify themselves as a caregiver. If you help a friend or loved one with bathing, dressing, cooking, housework, managing finances or medications, etc. then you are in fact providing care.
Caregiving comes with its challenges and its rewards. However it is the challenges that cause stress and burden to the caregiver.
Here are some printable resource pages that may help you as you travel the caregiver journey:- Eldercare services: maneuvering through the maze
- Facing fear
- Listen carefully
- Speak clearly
- Making frustration work for you
- Using guilt constructively
- Changing relationships in caregiving
- Caregivers need family support
- When families disagree
- Family dynamics in distance caregiving
- Take a break: finding respite in caregiving
- Take a break: take care of yourself
- Grief in caregiving
- After the death
- Coping with loss
Re-posted from Feb 1, 2016