Providing support and respite is an important part of celebrating family caregivers.
If you have ever felt unrecognized and underappreciated in your role as family caregiver, this month is for you! November is National Family Caregivers Month, a great time for celebrating family caregivers and the tireless work and dedication you invest in making sure a loved one’s life is the best it can be.
It Is Not Always Easy…But You Are Making a Difference
Take a moment to think through what a day in the life of family caregiving involves. Your first thoughts are never for yourself, but for the overall health of a person you love. Because of you, an older family member:
- Receives the support and help needed to complete the daily tasks of living that may have become challenging to take care of on their own
- Never has to be concerned about facing the challenges of aging alone
- Can enjoy healthy and well-balanced meals
- Has a companion to brighten each day through fun activities, outings, and conversations
- And much more
Caregiving is a rewarding but challenging endeavor, and we salute you for your selfless work.
You’re in Good Company
As reported in an AARP study, unpaid family caregiving amounts to more than $600 billion in care. This mind-boggling statistic translates to 38 million family caregivers who care for a loved one an average of 18 hours per week. To put it into perspective, this far surpasses the $433 billion spent annually in out-of-pocket healthcare costs by everyone in the United States.
But You Can’t Do It All Alone
Family caregivers often feel as though there’s no one who knows the older loved one better than they do, and therefore no one can provide the same standard of care. Although the first part of this may very well be true, the fact is that trying to meet all of a loved one’s care needs independently isn’t healthy for either the care receiver or the caregiver.
In order to offer the best care for someone you love, you must take care of yourself, too. Feeling worn down and burned out leads to lower patience levels, less attention to detail, and more stress and frustration—a recipe for a number of negative effects, including:
- Sleeping problems
- Caregiver depression and other serious health issues
- Relationship issues with other family members and friends who also need your time and attention
- An increased risk of injury to the senior from a medication mishap, fall, or other accident
- Anger, resentment, and other difficult emotions
- Self-medication through unhealthy means
- And much more
Celebrating Family Caregivers: It’s What We Do
The very best way you can celebrate National Family Caregivers Month is by acknowledging the need for support to allow yourself to take time to care for yourself. Grace Home Care’s respite care services are the perfect way to obtain a healthy life balance while ensuring the high quality care a loved one deserves.
We help family caregivers like you prioritize their own health and wellness without compromising the care their loved ones receive. Email or call us at 785-286-2273 for more information regarding our customized in-home respite care for seniors in the greater Topeka area.