Hardly the stereotyped smiling, uniformed women pushing the elderly in the park, family caregivers are an often-overlooked army, orbiting every type of chronic impairment. Trauma, disease (including addiction), disorders, and mental illness—look closely, and you’ll see a caregiver. Caregiving affects every demographic (even children) without respect for race, religion, gender, or economy.
And ask caregivers how often they get to visit a park.
Admittedly, it’s challenging to know what to say to this unpaid and mostly untrained workforce of 65 million Americans. Caregivers themselves struggle with identifying their own needs, and a loved one’s challenges often overshadow the caregiver’s struggles. Sadly, not knowing what to say leads to nothing said—which perpetuates the isolation. But just a few words could make a huge difference in engaging the weary heart of a caregiver.
Sometimes, it is as simple as “I see you and see the magnitude of what you carry—and I hurt with you.”
Words can offer little to ease a caregiver’s challenges. Yet, being seen, appreciated, and respected by others does wonders to bolster caregivers’ weary hearts.
Can I see another’s woe, and not be in sorrow too? —William Blake
Click Here for CAREGIVER 911
Hardly the stereotyped smiling, uniformed women pushing the elderly in the park, family caregivers are an often-overlooked army, orbiting every type of chronic impairment. Trauma, disease (including addiction), disorders, and mental illness—look closely, and you’ll see a caregiver. Caregiving affects every demographic (even children) without respect for race, religion, gender, or economy.
And ask caregivers how often they get to visit a park.
Admittedly, it’s challenging to know what to say to this unpaid and mostly untrained workforce of 65 million Americans. Caregivers themselves struggle with identifying their own needs, and a loved one’s challenges often overshadow the caregiver’s struggles. Sadly, not knowing what to say leads to nothing said—which perpetuates the isolation. But just a few words could make a huge difference in engaging the weary heart of a caregiver.
Sometimes, it is as simple as “I see you and see the magnitude of what you carry—and I hurt with you.”
Words can offer little to ease a caregiver’s challenges. Yet, being seen, appreciated, and respected by others does wonders to bolster caregivers’ weary hearts.
Can I see another’s woe, and not be in sorrow too? —William Blake
Click Here for CAREGIVER 911