National Family Caregiver Month

National Family Caregiver Month

Right now there are around 44 million people raising families, managing careers, and working jobs. They are also quietly performing thankless, unseen work as caregivers for loved ones, family, friends, and even as volunteers to strangers (60% are female and 40% are male). These unsung individuals or more appropriately “humanist hero’s” go for months, years and even decades caring for people in the closed doors of their homes. They cook and clean, bath and pamper, year in and year out. They care for their disabled, mentally incapacitated, and chronically diseased family member(s). These are everyday people who have found themselves in a position to care for their family member(s) who have become less than independent/self sufficient.

November is National Family Caregiver Month. It is an appropriate time – during the month celebrating Thanksgiving – to acknowledge these people for all that they do.

We at Genesis Home Care, LLC want to pay our respects to those who do this tiresome work while not having the proper training and know how. They manage to get things accomplished. They are the facilitator between the recipient and the medical professional. They ensure the necessary things are done for the family member, they sacrifice time, some leave the workforce. These caregivers learn on the fly by discussing care, technique, and procedures with medical professionals for guidance. The work can be non stop 24/7 and is constantly on call and interrupting whether physically at a 9-to-5 or during a weekend outing. The assistance that they give is vital yet it can easily become unnoticeable. So I would like to say “Thank You” – for your selfless dedication and love!

This level of additional care is very taxing and stressful, and usually done by a paid professional. It would be a mistake not to mention the importance of the caregiver’s own health. Many people don the superwoman/man robe and forget to take it off. By doing so they neglect proper care of self. Although most family caregivers consider their health to be good there is still a increased level (in comparison to the general populous) that tend to have higher levels of poor health in the categories of stress, physical strain, financial strain, emotionally drained, and an overall downgrade in health in general.

As we take this time to honor you and say thanks, please be mindful of the need for taking care of one’s self. Incorporating things such as proper nutrition, and finding time for yourself, to allow yourself to breathe freely, and to have a mentally relaxing moment as part of your week. Try eating more fresh vegetables and fruits, focus on easily digestible meat products, healthy fats, good carbs and natural sugars. Finding time for a trip to the gym may not be feasible, but consider learning some 30 min at home exercises. Stretching is great for blood flow and mind muscle connection; a 30 minute walk may do wonders for mental relaxation and a great heart rate elevating exercise. Making attempts at any of these suggestions are a struggle in your activity filled day but the rewards can be well worth it. Start slow! See if you can attempt these changes for once a week, then bump up and try to squeeze in a second day. Gradually, if you can, add a third to your week. That would be great and meets recommended sessions from medical professionals. You will have to locate the effort and the time to implement these changes, but they are important to helping supercharge the superwoman/man caregiver.

Here is a list of family caregiver resources:

https://www.caregiver.org/family-caregiver-support-program-fcsp-7
https://aging.georgia.gov
https://www.caregiver.org/pilotIntegration/indexPersistent.html?uri=%2Ffamily-caregiver-support-program-fcsp-35
https://acl.gov/programs/support-caregivers/national-family-caregiver-support-program
https://www.payingforseniorcare.com/longtermcare/resources/nfcsp_respite_care.html

Disclaimer: This article is intended as a friendly reminder with recommendations. It is not medical advice, direction or prescription of any sort. Please refer to professional services for any health-related questions, concerns and relief.