Our care professionals know the importance of honoring family caregivers every day of the year.
If you’ve ever felt underappreciated and unrecognized in your role as family caregiver, this month is for you! November is National Family Caregivers Month, a time for honoring family caregivers for the tireless work and dedication they invest in making sure a loved one’s life is the best it can be.
It’s Not Always Easy…But You Are Making a Difference
Take the opportunity to think about what a day in the life of family caregiving involves. Your first thoughts are never for yourself, but for the health and wellbeing of a person you love. Thanks to you, an older family member:
- Can enjoy healthy meals
- Has a companion to brighten each day through fun activities, outings, and conversations
- Obtains the help and support needed to complete the daily tasks of living that may have become difficult to take care of independently
- Never has to worry about facing the challenges of aging alone
- 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 figure 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 isn’t anyone who knows the older loved one better than they do, and therefore no one can provide the same standard of care. While 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 is not healthy for either the caregiver or care receiver.
In order to offer the best care for someone you love, you must take care of yourself, too. Feeling worn down and burned out contributes to lower patience levels, less attention to detail, and greater frustration and stress—a recipe for a number of negative effects, including:
- Self-medication through unhealthy means
- Sleeping problems
- Relationship issues with other family members and friends who also need your attention and time
- Resentment and anger, as well as other complicated emotions
- An increased risk of injury to the senior from a medication mishap, fall, or other accident
- Caregiver depression as well as other serious health problems
- And much more
The Solution
The 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. Absolute Companion Care’s respite care services are the ideal way to obtain a healthier life balance while ensuring the high quality care a loved one deserves.
We help family caregivers like you prioritize their own overall health without compromising the care their loved ones receive. Email or call us at 410-357-9640 for more information regarding our customized in-home respite care for older adults in Baltimore, Towson, Hunt Valley, and the surrounding areas.