A colleague of mine (who runs a caregiver's support group) called me today to ask me a question ... "Rick, how do you reach caregivers?" Relying on my marketing/promotions experience, I launched into explaining how I have utilized bookstore signings; newspaper, magazine and website stories and exhibiting at senior's shows. Turns out this wasn't what she was after, at all!
What she was looking for was not how to find caregivers, but how to get them to admit they may need help and support themselves when it comes to caring for an aging senior. Getting the word out about programs and services available can be done quite easily ... place an ad in a local publication, hang a poster or "tweet" the information out to the public. The more daunting task is having caregivers actually acknowledge they may need a helping hand. With her support group, for example, she has a pretty stable base of regular participants (who, after some time involved with the group, readily admit they have benefited) but she would like to attract some new members.
This got me thinking. Yes, caregivers often "go it alone" with helping a senior. Is it because they don't know what programs and services are available to them? Possibly, but I don't think so. Information is readily available through numerous means. Check the phone book to find listings of senior's resources in the local area. Ask questions of care professionals to learn a prognosis and get referrals for additional help. Surf the Internet to find a wealth of information on practically any subject desired. Google search the term "caregiving" and you'll get over 7,000,000 results! A more likely answer is that caregivers can feel obligated to act independently - I did this myself for some time with both my parents. Caregivers may feel that they can manage the responsibilities, but do not realize how much of a toll caregiving can take on one's own life until things become too much and overwhelming. One of the main issues is finding the time ... when you are working full-time (at 40 hours a week), where do you find the hours required to help Mom/Dad, spend quality time with your own family and/or kick back and do something for yourself?
Caregivers may also feel ashamed to ask for any outside help. Asking for a hand is not a sign of weakness but, instead, a sign of strength.
As our conversation continued, we concluded that our best approach would be to keep getting in front of caregivers to offer our help. The choice of whether to accept that support, however, remains with the caregiver. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. I find it ironic that a caregiver (who may need help and support) may well be the last person to actually ask for it!
If, and when, you become a caregiver, don't be shy to reach out to others. Both you and your loved one can benefit by your doing so.
