According to National Alliance for Caregiving, an estimated 65 million Americans provide care for a chronically ill, disabled, or aged family member or friend during any given year. They spend an average of 20 hours per week providing that care, and the value of their unpaid services is $375 billion per year—almost twice as much as is spent on home care and nursing home services combined.
These loving folks are caregivers, and they come in all kinds of packages. Some provide hands-on care for an elder in their home, some support a loved one in a long-term care facility, some watch over an older relative from a distance, and others provide help with transportation, shopping, or other tasks for an elder who still lives on his or her own. We generally use the term “family caregiver” to distinguish these caregivers from professional care providers. “Family” include friends, neighbors, partners, and any other person who has an emotional attachment to the care recipient and acts like family.
We often hear, “Oh, I’m not a caregiver. I’m just a husband [or wife, or daughter, or …]” Recently I met a woman who cares for her mother with Alzheimer’s disease and supports another elder relative as well, and she was surprised to learn that we consider her a caregiver. More important, she was delighted to hear about the services offered to persons in her situation—to family caregivers—by our agency and others.
The name itself doesn’t matter. Caregiver, care partner, husband, wife, partner, friend … whatever you choose to call yourself, just know that you’re not alone. You’re part of a great outpouring of love that includes many millions of others, and your community is eager to support you in your caring work. Please contact Boulder County Area Agency on Aging or your local City Senior Services to learn more about that support.
~ Emily Cooper is Information and Referral Specialist for Caregiver Programs with Boulder County Area Agency on Aging, a Division of Community Services. For more information on BCAAA caregiver services, call 303-678-6116 or email InfoCaregiver@bouldercounty.org .