You're Not Alone ... And You Don't Have to Be

Did you know that in the US nearly 66 million adults serve as unpaid caregivers to someone who is ill, disabled, or aged?  That's a heck of a lot of people -- about 29% of the population. The vast majority of them care for a relative, but many of them support a friend, neighbor, or colleague.

Image Credit:  www.thecaregiverspace.org

There are a number of sobering statistics about caregivers. The one that makes me saddest was posted by The Caregiver Space on their Facebook page: 36% of caregivers feel they have no source of support to turn to. That translates into 24 million people, about three times the population of New York City, who feel they are on their own to deal with the responsibility, the stress, and the uncertainty of caregiving.

In my case, the reasons included not wanting to intrude on the busy lives of my friends, a belief that I should be able to do it all, and the relatively gradual increase in the amount of caregiving my husband required.  

Looking back, it's easy to say that if I had known about the resources available, or how willing friends would be to help out, I would have reached out. The reality is that I was trying to just hang on and get through each day.  I researched the heck out of his symptoms, the disease progression, and how to support him.  It didn't dawn on me to look for support for myself.  

I've just published a page on this blog that lists a few resources for caregivers. It's only a start, and I haven't vetted them beyond a review of their website and/or their Facebook pages.  I'll post additional resources as I find them, and I encourage you to send me ones that you know about. (You can add them as a comment here if you like.) 

With 40% of US families providing care for someone, it's almost certain that you know a caregiver, if you aren't one yourself.  Reach out.