One of the most demanding yet fulfilling jobs is being a caregiver to a friend or a family member. Family caregivers are unsung heroes. And just like all heroes, they also need the proper care and support if ever they were to perform their responsibilities as best they can, while at the same time making their caregiving a meaningful experience for them.
One out of five Americans is a family caregiver. This resulted from a study conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and the AARP interest group (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons). About 48 million American provide unpaid family caregiving services to a friend or a family member, and the physical demands and emotional and social attachments linked with the role are taking a toll on most caregivers.
Eleanor Gaccetta’s book One Caregiver’s Journey is a heartwarming memoir about the author’s journey of caring for her mother for nearly ten years, 24/7, until her mother’s death at the age of 102. The book provides a realistic perspective of the changes and challenges caregivers face in their role, with advice and suggestions from the author on the best ways to overcome these challenges.
Family caregivers cover many tasks and responsibilities that often require a lot of investment regarding the energy spent physically, mentally, and emotionally. Caregivers are not new to the dynamic challenges that they face almost daily. But one problem stood out that calls the need for urgent action and should not be just pushed aside and ignored. What supports do caregivers need for them to be more productive and feel valued in their job?
What Caregivers Need
Caregivers also need care and support. This is crucial if people expect them to be more productive in their work and sometimes even go above and beyond what is required.
Like any other ordinary people, they are likely to feel exhausted, drained, and severely stressed, leading to serious health complications, and affecting their ability to look after their patients. Caregivers also need to take breaks, recharge and look after their overall well-being.
Below are some much-needed supports people can give the caregivers – the modern-day unsung heroes.
Financial Support
Full-time, unpaid family caregivers bear the full grunt of costs associated with their roles. Since theirs is more of moral responsibility to look after a loved one or a family member, they often find it hard to look for work outside of their duties to support the necessary expenses of their patients, especially regarding medical costs.
The National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) seeks to address this issue, striving to recognize and meet the needs of family caregivers. The NFCSP provides financial assistance to caregivers giving care to family members aged 60 and above and financial support for grandparents taking care of their grandchildren with physical or mental illnesses or disabilities.
Other financial assistance available for family caregivers includes Medicaid Cash and Counseling Programs, Veterans Services, Structured Family Caregiving, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Note that financial support programs vary from state to state, including the qualifications and requirements.
Respite Care
Respite care is a service that provides caregivers with the break that they need. Whether it’s planned or for temporary emergency care, this short-term relief offers a positive experience for caregivers and their loved ones in the form of break periods in a matter of days or weeks to help ease the burden and stress of the job. Respite care also seeks to promote a caregiver’s work-life balance.
During a respite care episode, someone steps temporarily in the shoes of the caregiver, either voluntarily or paid, and does the job within an agreed amount of time.
Mental and Emotional Support
This is the kind of support that helps boost the caregiver’s well-being. Friends and family are usually the ones providing mental and emotional support. Because of the taxing, demanding, and stressful responsibilities, there is a tendency that caregivers will begin to feel unhappy, moody, anxious, and even isolated. A show of support from loved ones can go a long way. This could be in the form of online social networking groups or discussion board forums, a simple day out with friends, an empathetic ear and shoulder to lean on, or any form of consistent and sincere human contact to vent out and release any form of mental and emotional stress.
The One Caregiver’s Journey is an essential book and blueprint for caregivers and those planning to take on a caregiving role. Filled with love and compassion, Eleanor Gaccetta delightfully weaved through her anecdotes valuable insights on how to care for a family loved one and to develop that needed compassion, humility, and humanity that makes caregiving a worthwhile job.
More importantly, the book puts into focus that caregivers are also human beings who also need love and compassion. One Caregiver’s Journey dared to ask the question that no one else was asking – the support that should be given and made available to family caregivers.
Grab a copy of Eleanor Gaccetta’s One Caregiver’s Journey on Amazon or visit the author’s website at www.onecaregiversjourney.com and get to be enlightened and inspired by the life of a caregiver.
