Originally published 2/19/21 on the ACP Facebook page.
Today is National Caregiver Day! It is observed annually on the third Friday in February. The official observance states the purpose of this day is to recognize the dedicated health care professionals who serve folks requiring long-term or hospice care.
In addition to those dedicated professionals, I would like to add a tribute to the family caregivers who are not trained professionals and are learning on the fly. This is often overwhelming, especially in the beginning, when everything is new. And then it morphs into fatigue as reality sets in about the ‘new normal’ and the grief of missing the ‘old normal’.
This day also celebrates the resilience of all caregivers who simply keep on caring, every single day, because that is the choice they make when they love those for whom they are caring.
Sean Dietrich’s blog this morning is about this very thing and I am posting for your reading pleasure. If you know someone who is fulfilling the responsibilities of a family care giver, reach and touch them today with a text of encouragement, a meal delivered to the home, or an offer to help them in some way today. That could be picking up a grocery order, stopping by the pharmacy. Be creative and show some love!
Sean Dietrich – The American Caregiver
