According the National Alliance on Caregiving, over 65 million Americans care for sick, disabled and elderly family members and friends, saving the healthcare system $375 billion dollars annually. But the caregiver or care partner is often overlooked in the process as the focus is on the person who requires the care.
Caregivers often neglect their own self-care and suffer in silence. They have a high rate of stress-related illnesses and disorders, addictions and even worse. Additionally, the stress, if not tended to, can even lead to abuse of the loved one they care for.
What Is a Caregiver/Care Partner?
I didn’t view myself as a caregiver when my husband was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis because he didn’t need help with dressing or eating. Yet I began to take on responsibility for doctor’s visits, therapy appointments and pharmacy trips, as well as provide emotional support for him and family members.
I would protest: “I am not a caregiver.” But then I read descriptions of my situation on the National Family Caregivers Association website www.nfcacares.org and finally had to admit that I was stressed, overwhelmed, approaching burnout, and in need of help and support.
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