The Importance of Caregiving

With national caregivers month coming to an end, this topic hits close to home for me, and maybe even some of you. Caregivers month is every November and it is a month of celebrating the millions of hardworking caregivers all around the world. No matter if you are a caregiver yourself or have a family member that uses a caregiver, I believe it is important to take time to gain more knowledge and spread awareness about caregivers.

First, it is important to understand what the job description of a caregiver is. According to caringinfo.org, a caregiver's job tasks can include bathing, doing laundry, helping with dressing, meal prepping, housekeeping, taking care of medication, mobilizing, emotional support, transportation, and communicating with the clients medical professionals. Generally when people hear the term ‘caregiver’ they will think of an elderly person who is physically unable to care for themselves. Although this is possible, caregivers can give care to whoever may be in need. For example, children, adults and elderly, who need help with their daily tasks due to chronic illness, injury, or a disability. From the outside, this may not seem like a lot of work, but, this job can be a lot of work because of the pressure of having to care for another human. This pressure is one of the reasons caregivers are not given the props they deserve.

The reason we need to spread awareness about caregivers is because it is a job that is often not talked about. Caregivers themselves often don’t talk about their job because it builds up too much pressure. Also the outside world often criticizes caregivers for ‘not doing enough’. Another reason the caregiving profession is often not mentioned is because there is a stigma regarding the topic due to a lack of awareness.

As a teen who helps out as a caregiver from time to time for a family member, I see first hand how important it is to have a team in order to provide the proper assistance that is needed. Having a team of people is helpful because we are able to help each other out when needed. Although, even with the help, it is still easy to get burnt out from it. Seeing it first hand, these are a few reasons I believe it is vital to gain education and spread awareness about the many aspects of caregivers.