December is a traditional time for many of us to exchange gifts with our loved ones. Of course, we give to the people in our lives throughout the year, and family caregivers, especially, bestow their gifts daily.
If you’re a family caregiver (perhaps one who thinks you don’t do enough for a loved one), ask yourself: How many hours this year did you spend providing support for your care recipient? How many hours did you devote to listening, going to the doctor, shopping, or doing any of the other tasks that caregiving requires?
How many dollars did you spend travelling to see your frail older loved one who lives far away? How many minutes did you talk on the telephone (or email, or text) to stay attached? Did you take time off from work, or lose wages or promotions, because of your commitment to caregiving? Did you attend classes, study online, or visit with professionals to learn how to help your care recipient? And how much effort did you put into securing and coordinating services to assist with your loved one’s care?
Most important, can you possibly measure the love you gave to your care recipient? And can you begin to imagine how much that love meant to the person in your care? We know that the annual monetary value of the contributions of family caregivers is in the billions, but there’s no way of quantifying the love—and patience, loyalty, kindness, and more—that caregivers share every day of the year.
Thank you for the gifts you give. They benefit not only your care recipient but also the larger community. They make Boulder County a richer and more caring place for every one of us. May some of the special gifts you give be returned in kind to you.
~ 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/.