Being a caregiver is never an easy feat. It’s a long term commitment that comes with watching someone you love age with a disease known to change the person you once knew, all while you juggle various roles and responsibilities to make sure your loved one is still being provided for. Some days, it feels as though the weight of the world is falling right on your shoulders.
We know your plate is full and that is why we’re here – to ease some of the burden for you and provide you with the tools, resources, and support needed to ensure both you and your loved one are living a life full of meaning and purpose. This is a journey you need not walk alone and, even during some of the hardest trials, there is still joy to be found in caregiving.
Let us help you find it.
Dear Caregivers,
When was the last time someone told you that you were doing a great job – and you believed it? Maybe you feel like the job you’ve done isn’t worth the recognition, or perhaps you feel as though you could have done something differently. Maybe you’re worried that you haven’t done enough for your loveds one as their caregivers, so the sound of someone saying you did something good feels foreign to your ears.
Maybe your days feel muddied and mundane, just a constant effort of trying to stay afloat. After all, we both know how the cycle goes. You wake up and run through your list of daily to-do’s. You shuttle back and forth between work, doctors’ appointments, pharmacies, and the like. All planning throughout your day is done with your loved one in mind.
This is where work meets life because caregiving is a full-time job with no vacation days or set lunch breaks.
Before you know it, solo trips to the grocery store become your version of self-care, and you spend most of your days counting the hours until bedtime. But then, just when you think you finally have a moment of quiet to yourself, your late-night pillow thoughts are wildly ravaged by all the things that still need to be done, mixed with all the things you wish you had done differently.
The room is silent, yet it still feels so ear-piercingly loud.
Being caregivers is no walk in the park. Aside from being your loved one’s spouse, child, sibling, or friend, you’re also a personal assistant, chef, bedside nurse, secretary, and therapist – all wrapped into one. This is a job you were thrown into without any interviews or prior work experience. But you are doing your best, and I believe your best is enough for your loved one.
YOU are exactly who your loved one needs. Maybe you don’t always have it all figured out, and maybe sometimes you miss the mark. But having your love, compassion, empathy, and warmth is exactly what makes each day one worth living for.
I can’t say I have all the best advice to give to make your job any easier. But I can say that I see you, and I respect every effort you have put forth to make each day better than the last.
So, to the caregivers who need to know that it’s okay to feel lost in this world you’ve been thrown into, I hope this letter finds you. I hope you find comfort, solace, and recognition in knowing that nothing you do goes unnoticed. This role often feels thankless, but I’m thankful for everything you do – and I know your loved ones are, too. You really are doing a great job.
Signed,
A Fellow Caregiver
We're Here For You
The impacts of Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other age-related issues affect the entire family. Oakwood Creative Care provides services, education, and support to help you navigate through this journey.
