Caring about Caregivers
By: Marie Baker, Social Media Strategy, Bayer U.S.
For me, the meaning of a caregiver forever changed in April 2017. I received a call around midnight that my dad had suffered a massive stroke. As my sister and I drove the four hours to my parent’s house in Delaware, we didn’t fully grasp what lay ahead for my family.
Here we are months later — and the journey has not been easy. My dad became paralyzed on his entire right side, lost his ability for speech, and most of his normal functions were severely impacted.
His weeks are now spent in occupational and physical therapy, speech therapy, and cardiology and neurology appointments. He spends a lot of time recovering in bed. He watches his NASCAR races and rolls his eyes at everyone — hey, some things don’t change! He has good days and bad days.
His primary caregiver is my mom — who transitioned from living the life of a retiree to a full-time, 24/7 caregiver. Not exactly what she had in mind when she retired. My sister and I do what we can, and visit as often as we can, but most of the responsibility lies on her.
Why am I sharing all of this with you? In communications, one of my roles is to seek out upcoming holidays and awareness months that make sense for Bayer to communicate about. November is recognized as National Family Caregivers month with the goal of raising awareness of family caregiver issues, and celebrate their efforts.
In previous years, it was a month that would come and go, and I would write and share messages about the role of caregivers and our support of caregivers everywhere. This year, it is personal.
As the old adage goes, until it happens to you; you won’t know. As my mom takes care of my dad, it’s my role to take care of my mom. I must remind her to take time for herself, to see her friends, look for local support networks, to take a walk, to get back to quilting. This may seem trivial in comparison, but caregivers need caregiving too.
We don’t need an official month as an excuse to recognize these amazing people and families. However, it does serve as a reminder that we should celebrate them. Send a card. Pick up the phone. Visit. Offer to help so they can have a break. Donate money to a non-profit that supports caregivers. Whatever it is, it’s all of our duty to care.
My family continues on this journey, and the good days are becoming more frequent. My dad is talking more now. He is getting feeling back on his right side. He has been practicing standing and walking with a leg brace and other support mechanisms. The weeks are still filled with ups and downs, anger and joy, laughter and tears. Yet, no matter the day, every step of the way, my mom is by his side, with purpose, love and care.
“There are only four kinds of people in the world.
Those who have been caregivers.
Those who are currently caregivers.
Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.”
― Rosalyn Carter
