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National Family Caregivers Month: 7 Ways To Bring Peace of Mind Into Caregiving

Source of Life Technologies

As a caregiver, we all have hard days. And if you are reading this, you have lived through 100% of your hardest days! Being a family caregiver comes with a lot of work and hard decisions.  As a company filled with many caregivers, we strive to make it easier. National Family Caregivers Month is every November appreciating the strength and dedication of those who care for their loved ones.

The Statistics Around Family Caregiving

According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, an estimated 65.7 million Americans serve as family caregivers.

Gallup-Healthways reported, on average, caregivers spend:

  • 13 days each month on tasks such as shopping, food preparation, housekeeping, laundry, transportation, and giving medication
  • 6 days per month on feeding, dressing, grooming, walking, bathing, and assistance toileting
  • 13 hours per month researching care services or information on disease, coordinating physician visits or managing financial matters

The value of services provided by family caregivers has continued to increase over the last ten years. According to AARP, there is an estimated cost of $470 billion on family caregiving.

The Alzheimer’s Association reported senior caregiving for loved one’s with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease has direct costs valuing at $305 billion while the value of unpaid family caregiving is at $244 billion.

National Family Caregivers Month

National Family Caregivers Month aims to raise awareness about the physical, emotional, mental, and financial toll that family caregivers can experience. It also serves to educate new family caregivers on the importance of self-care and provide support for all.

Raising Awareness

As we look to recognize the family caregivers around us, we are bringing recommendations on ways to bring peace of mind into caregiving. 

  • Look for support from other caregivers. You are not alone! 
  • Ensure you are taking care of your own health so you can take care of your loved one. 
  • Asking for and accepting offers of help is a strength! 
  • Make sure you know how to effectively communicate with your caregiving team. 
  • Be open to new technologies that can assist you and your loved one.
  • Your mental health is important and caregiver burnout is real. Don’t delay in getting help when you need it. Watch out for signs of depression. 
  • Caregiving is VERY hard work. Make sure you know where and how to get respite services. 

There is an emotional, physical and financial toll on family caregivers and this November we strive to bring awareness to the importance of proactive caregiving.

Empathy is found among all family caregivers and is also a strength found in business. Source of Life Technologies is looking to make caregiving easier, for the at-home caregiver and for the professional.

About Source of Life Technologies

From senior care fall strategies to online engagement and mobile app opportunities, healthcare shouldn’t be reactive - it should be proactive. Doors have been opened to on-demand healthcare and it turns out the overwhelming majority of patients, physicians, families and therapists want to continue down that path. The decision to modernize your senior care strategies is a big one and doesn’t happen overnight.  Talk to the Source of Life Technologies team for the guidance and direction you need to make the change in your organization or home.