National Caregiver’s Day is February 19th. It falls on the third Friday in February every year and honors healthcare professionals across the country who provide care. National Family Caregiver’s Month is in November and recognizes and honors family caregivers across the country, as it educates communities and increases support for caregivers. Both family and professional caregivers are essential and important, but in this blog post I’ll be focusing on family caregivers. Caregivers are people who provide care for and relieve the burdens of the people they are caring for, and support the people they care for for a short time or a long while. Caregivers help sick or disabled people with their daily activities when they can no longer perform those duties on their own, and give them peace of mind and an sense of independence. Family caregivers perform such duties for their sick or disabled family members or loved ones without pay often. I did for my mom and sister two and three years ago for short whiles as they died slowly from pancreatic cancer and congestive heart failure. Being an caregiver for them daily was hard as I balanced my other responsibilities with caring for them, but I don’t regret it. Caring for them during their last few years and months on earth gave me more time to spend with them, helped me to bond with them more, and gave me a sense of closure after their deaths. In the past, I bathed my mother, fed her, gave her medications, and dressed her daily, while I just helped my sister out with her medications from time to time. Regardless, I was a caregiver for both of them, and it took a toll on my mental and emotional health before and after their deaths. Thus, if you know of a family or professional caregiver, take time out of your schedule now or later to show them you care, appreciate them, understand what they’re going through, and that they’re not alone. You can do this by giving a family or professional caregiver a card of thanks, words of encouragement, putting a good word for them with their boss or supervisor, and buying them lunch or dinner.
Thanks to all the family and professional caregivers around the world! You are appreciated.
