Celebrating family caregivers

When home health aides and other professional health and personal care providers are not available daily for those who require care throughout the day, who steps in? Who provides the vast majority of care for people who are unable to fully care for themselves? Most often, they are our family caregivers.

November has been designated National Family Caregivers Month. As we approach the day especially designated for giving thanks, we express gratitude for and celebrate all family caregivers in the CNMI—our partners in home healthcare.

Who are family caregivers?

These are the often-unsung heroes of the home, who day in and day out help a family member—perhaps a father, mother, grandparent, aunt or uncle—with the daily basic needs they can no longer provide for themselves. Family caregivers are often working parents who juggle raising children and maintaining their careers while also providing essential care for a family member at home. As a caregiver, these individuals are often responsible for managing their loved one’s medications, ensuring an adequate supply is on hand and that medications are administered at the proper times each day. They usually also ensure that their loved one is receiving proper nutrition by providing meals each day. Depending on the condition of the family member being cared for, family caregivers may also have to do the house cleaning and laundry as well as assist in bathing, hygiene, dressing, and grooming needs.

In the January 2017 New York Times article, “Who Will Care for the Caregivers?” D. Khullar reported that, “according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving, the typical family caregiver is a 49-year-old woman caring for an older relative—but nearly a quarter of caregivers are millennials and are equally likely to be male or female. About one-third of caregivers have a full-time job, and 25 percent work part-time. A third provide more than 21 hours of care per week.”

Important to remember is that family caregivers are “generally unpaid.” When seeing these statistics, one must wonder how they do this? Many times, this care is given with great sacrifice. Many family caregivers experience struggles with their careers. According to Paula Span’s New York Times article “Caregivers Sometimes Must Sacrifice Their Careers,” “14 percent [of family caregivers] took formal leaves of absence; 13 percent reduced their hours or found less demanding jobs…and 6 percent gave up work entirely.” Financial strain can follow due to the loss of income. This, plus long hours of around-the-clock caregiving can lead to high levels of stress and emotional strain as well.

With all of this in mind, we see family caregivers as enormous blessings and sources of inspiration for selflessness and dedication. If you know any family caregiver or are blessed to have one in your life, remember to thank them for all that they do. Encourage them to take a few moments to relax and eat properly so that they may continue to have the strength to continue their lifegiving work.

To learn more about home health care, please visit www.marianashealth.com or call 233-4646.

Sources:


http://caregiveraction.org/sites/default/files/Caregiving%20Around%20the%20Clock%20NFC%20Month%202017.pdf