At this time of year, we pause to say thank you to our dedicated home caregivers, who do so much to help clients. The holidays can be especially difficult for elder clients who have lost spouses and friends and perhaps live far from other loved ones. Some elders may not be able to celebrate the holidays with the same traditions as in the past, but our home caregivers try to make the time special and incorporate some of the client’s traditions.
Just this week, a professional who works with a client sent us a note expressing her thanks for the caregiver’s efforts: “I’ve been there a few times now when the caregiver is present and I think he is absolutely wonderful with Mr. F. Last visit, he brought Mr. F a slice of strawberry cheesecake. Tomorrow, he is going to surprise him with pumpkin pie and some usual Thanksgiving dinner fixings. Today, he made Mr. F blueberry muffins. I think it’s just heartwarming to see that he truly cares and wants to always do something special for his client. It made me smile.”
We are thankful for caregivers because:
- They show a great generosity of spirit and dedication. They often give up their own personal and family time at the holidays to be with their clients.
- They do little things to put a smile on the elder client’s face.
- They help us out in a pinch! Eldercare crises don’t wait for the holidays and our caregivers often jump in to help during the holidays and other times when a crisis arises.
- They do what they do not for the thanks, but for the knowledge that they might be making a client’s day a little better. But, we still want to make sure to say a big thank you as often as possible!
If you are a family caregiver or working as a home caregiver this holiday season, it is a good time to reflect on some of the reasons to be thankful. Caregiving can be the toughest job in the world, and you don’t always get the thanks you deserve. But, as a caregiver:
- You get to see the smile on your care recipient’s face when you do a little something nice. You get to see the person feeling better that day because of a small comfort you provided, or the light in his/her eyes as you reminisce or share in a favorite tradition or food.
- You get opportunities to grow as a person in ways other jobs don’t provide to people. You may find inner strength at a time when you felt worn out or gain new insight in to life or aging. You have the chance to potentially learn a lot from care recipients’ life experience and wisdom.
- Your time with the person may be short, but is all the more precious for it.
- You may not have the shopping day others have or the time to prepare the same big meal you usually do, but you have the satisfaction of giving the gift of yourself and your time.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our EasyLiving caregivers and the many family caregivers doing their best to help!