How many of you know that November is National Family Caregiver Month? Up until recently, I never knew anything about it. However, 5 years ago I became a caregiver to my 87 year old great aunt. For 5 years I shared the caregiver duties with my mother and my husband…we took great care of auntie until a few months ago when we were forced to move her into assisted living. Even though she resides there, we are still responsible for about 30% of her care.
My Uncle and Auntie
My great aunt and my great uncle were like grand parents to me and had helped my single mother raise my brother and me. We used to spend quite a bit of time with them and they helped shaped the woman I am today.
Five years ago my uncle passed away after a 9 month painful illness. My aunt was absolutely heartbroken since she had been with my uncle for over 60 years of her life. Matter of fact, our entire family was just devastated. We had promised my uncle that we would take care of my aunt to the best of our ability. I believe that is why he finally passed in-peace as he had been fighting & holding on for a long time.
Shortly after his passing my auntie fell down a flight of stairs. After a few weeks in the hospital she came home and we were left to care for her. She was recovering from 6 fractures in her back, a fractured hip and a whole host of other problems.
Over the next 5 years we would cook her meals for her, clean her home, do the grocery shopping, take her to medical appointments, bathe her and wash her hair for her. She was pretty dependent on us for her care and we loved spending time with her.
Being a caregiver to a loved one is extremely hard work. Don’t let anyone fool you! There were days we wanted to pull our hair out, scream and just lay down and cry. While it is hard work and stressful at times, it is also very rewarding! We all got to know my auntie on a more deeper level than before and she taught us all about the true meaning of love, patience and commitment.
Several months ago my auntie fell again and re-fractured her hip and back. At this point in her life, she was also having “memory” issues that come with age, heart issues and kidney problems. After some discussion with her physician, they convinced us that she now needed 24 hour assistance and she needed that assistance to come from licensed medical professionals.
After a family meeting we decided to move my aunt into an assisted living center where she has access to 24 hour a day medical care. We were very heart-broken that it had come to this but it was the best decision for my aunt’s care and it was also the best decision for our family as a whole.
Even though my auntie now resides in an assisted living center, we are still responsible for part of her daily care. We take turns going in every week to spend time with her, read to her, bathe her, wash her hair and do other activities with her.
While it can be time consuming when we all have other things going on in our lives, these times we spend with my aunt are absolutely “priceless” to us. Even now, I continue to learn from my auntie and she has given me many memories that will always be a part of my life.
On the Thanks Project site you can share a message of thanks with a caregiver you know and post it publicly alongside other messages from people across the country to illustrate the number of caregivers nationwide. I invite you to head on over to their site and check it out while you are here today.
Across the country over 42 million people, primarily women between the ages 40 – 60 are faced with the challenge of providing care to their older family members and friends each and every day. Every family that I know has at least one person in the family providing care to another.
New research from AARP suggests that caregiving can take a tremendous toll on
the caregiver’s personal health and overall well being. And yet, many caregivers
do not self-identify as such and can be reluctant to ask for help. You can check out AARP’s National Family Caregiving Month Pinterest Board for additional resources and information. 
AARP provides several resources for caregivers on their site. I would love it if you could visit the site today and share it with your loved ones and friends who are caregivers
November is a very important month for those who are caregivers and for those who receive the care given to them by friends, family and loved ones. Being a caregiver is one of the most important jobs you can have in your life and is one that is often not recognized by others.
During National Caregivers Month I invite you to explore the links contained within this post to learn more and to share the information with those you know.
Disclosure: I am participating in a sponsored campaign with One2One Network. All thoughts and personal opinions are my own. Additional information contained within this post was provided by the participating sponsors.
While I am not a caregiver to the age brackets that AARP supports, I am to my 22 year old daughter who experiences intellectual and physical disabilities. A rewarding yet exhausting role. I was not aware that caregivers werr celebrated in November. Gonna make Ms Ma’am a cake and add it to my list of things be thankful in November
I did not know that November is National family caregiver month. It is a very important month. There are a lot more elderly people who are being taken care of by family members than ever before. It is a difficult role that many don”t appreciate and should be done with love and understanding as you were doing it. It is also hard sometimes to figure out when it becomes too much for the family and the person needs additional specialized care. I am sure you did the right thing and your aunty appreciates it too.
God bless you and thank you! This is a very important month, and I am glad you are bringing awareness to it. Being a caregiver is an extremely important, time-consuming, and loving role. The gift of yourself can never be measured but is greatly appreciated. I didn’t really understand quite what the term meant until a year ago when my daughter was so sick. When she first came home, a nurse came in twice a week, but I was left with IVs and the daily care. She was leaps better than she first had been but caring for her was a 24 hour job. It is mentally and physically draining, but the love, time, and closeness cannot be expressed in words. Thank you to all the care givers out there. Nurses and family members are amazing beyond words!