Caregiving is Caring for Yourself and Others

Posted by Darlene Kaskie on November 8th, 2023 Posted in: Blog

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Celebrated every November, National Family Caregivers Month (NFCM) is a time to recognize and honor family caregivers across the country. It offers an opportunity to raise awareness of caregiving issues, educate communities, and increase support for caregivers.

Who is a caregiver?

Have you provided care for a child or an elderly parent, or offered respite for a friend or neighbor?  You are not alone. In the United States, approximately 43.5 million caregivers have provided unpaid care, or informal caregiving, to an adult or child in the last 12 months. A caregiver is anyone who provides care for another person in need.

What is the role of a caregiver?

A caregiver wears several hats. Caregiving might may mean attending to a person’s physical needs such as bathing, shopping, and cooking. But caregiving also can mean supporting another person’s mental and emotional concerns such as talking with doctors and nurses or comforting family and friends.

• Find a Hospice or Palliative Care Provider
• End of Life: Helping with Comfort and Care [PDF]

What does a caregiver look like?

Caregivers are as diverse as the caregiving needs. Free resources are available to help understand and raise awareness for cultural differences, racial inequities, and rural disparities.

The Caregiving in the U.S. 2020 Report, jointly conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP, provides a series of fact sheets developed from the data:

• The “Typical” African American Caregiver [PDF]
• The “Typical” Asian Caregiver [PDF]
• The “Typical” Hispanic Caregiver [PDF] and Infographic [PDF]
• The “Typical” LGBTQ Caregiver [PDF]
• The “Typical” Caregiver of a Care Recipient Living in a Rural Area [PDF]
• The “Typical” Student Caregiver [PDF]
• The “Typical” Gen X Caregiver [PDF]
• The “Typical” Millennial Caregiver [PDF]
• The “Typical” No Choice Caregiver [PDF]

Caregiving in BIPOC Communities. Mental Health America. Retrieved October 30, 2023

The Future of Family Caregiver Support is Diverse and Inclusive by Amanda Singleton. AARP. March 4, 2020

What resources are available for caregivers?

AARP Family Caregiving Guides are designed to help develop and implement a caregiving plan for a loved one or friend. The guides include:

National Indian Council on Aging: For Caregivers and The Savvy Caregiver in Indian Country Trainer’s Manual

Home Based Primary Care is part of the the VHA Standard Medical Benefits Package and for Veterans who have complex health care needs for whom routine clinic-based care is not effective. All enrolled Veterans are eligible. Finding help for teens who grow up caregiving for their disabled military parents by Carson Frame. Shots: Health News from NPR. March 7, 2022

Guide for Caregivers. National Multiple Sclerosis Society. [PDF] Also in Spanish

Caring for a Person Who Has Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (Created by familydoctor.org editorial staff and reviewed by Beth Oller, MD. Last updated September 2022) and Caregiving Tips for Families of People With Disabilities (CDC)

When does a caregiver require care?

Caregiving can be rewarding. It may help to strengthen connections to a loved one. But caregiving may also be stressful and sometimes even overwhelming.

Caregivers report much higher levels of stress than people who are not caregivers. Many caregivers are providing help or are “on call” almost all day. Sometimes, this means there is little time for work or other family members or friends. Some caregivers may feel overwhelmed by the amount of care their aging, sick or disabled family member needs.¹

Taking care of your own physical and mental health is important. Because when you feel better, you can take better care of your loved one.

• Caregiver Stress Fact Sheet [PDF] (Office on Women’s Health)
• Get Support if You’re a Caregiver
• Self-Care for Caregivers: A Practical Guide to Caring for You While You Care for Your Loved Ones | Susanne White | Simon & Schuster | 2022 | 208 pages | ISBN: 978-1507218396 | WorldCat

1. American Psychological Association. (2012). Stress in America: Our Health at Risk . APA: Washington, DC.