As a social worker in the field of gerontology, I have worked directly with family caregivers for my entire career. I have always been in awe of what family caregivers do to support and care for their loved ones.
Last year I saw my mother become a full-time caregiver for my father. I saw her change her entire life around to make sure he had the care he needed. She rearranged the home, took over the bills, did all the household tasks he used to do while also making sure he had care, supplies, and every doctor’s appointment he needed.
I did what I could to support her in her role. I helped set up services, researched supplies, and even helped set up auto bill pay to save her time and energy managing finances.
According to an AARP study, in California alone there are approximately 4.45 million family caregivers. The community is large, yet often family caregivers feel so alone in their daily tasks.
In my profession I encourage people to think about creating a care team. This means setting up your team of support around you. For my mom, I was a big part of her care team. And when there was something outside of my ability, I helped her think through who could help with either guidance, physical help, support, or tasks.
Caring for a loved one can be very rewarding, while also very exhausting both mentally and physically. Knowing you have a team around you for support and guidance is important. Too often I see family caregivers neglect their own care because of their caregiving responsibilities.
To honor and celebrate family caregivers, Senior Concerns presents Caregiver Recognition Day, an annual event designed to provide family caregivers the opportunity to renew their spirit and enjoy an uplifting and empowering program. This year the event is in person, on Tuesday, May 7th from 10:30am to 1:30pm, at Los Robles Greens in Thousand Oaks. The event is free, and includes a sit-down lunch, goody bags, educational speakers, and most importantly, community.
The theme this year is all about building your care team. Speakers will talk about building your care team in different areas, including medically, spiritually, financially, professionally, and socially.
If you are a caregiver of an aging loved one in our community, you are welcome to join this free event by registering here, or by contacting Senior Concerns at 805-497-0189.
Caregivers are some of the most amazing people I know. They deserve to feel pampered, cared for and recognized for what they do every day for their loved one. Please help spread the word to those who can benefit from this wonderful event.
Martha Shapiro can be reached at Senior Concerns at 805-497-0189 or by email at mshapiro@seniorconcerns.org.
