By Emily Marshall
Imagine: it’s 1882 and a massive celebration is underway. People are celebrating positive movement towards decent working conditions and growth towards industrialization. Years later, in 1894, the celebration becomes a federal holiday and has been celebrated as “Labor Day” every year since. While the understanding of this day has morphed from a symbol of improving the workplace to celebrating an end to summer and beginning of the school year, it continues to remain a day to celebrate the joys (and pains) of labor.
Regardless of your personal understanding of Labor Day, labor is something that very few of us can avoid. Labor, or work, is a part of the very fabric of life. Work gives us purpose and meaning. It provides direction in a sometimes-directionless world. One type of work that I want to highlight today is the, often underappreciated, work of caregiving.
What exactly is a caregiver? You might be a caregiver and not even realize it or recognize yourself as one. Parents of young kids are caregivers, but so are kids of aging or disabled parents. So are neighbors helping neighbors and family helping family. Caregiving is the art of selfless giving to others who cannot help themselves as much as they need. Caregiving is a sacrificial act that takes time, energy, focus, patience, strength, generosity, perseverance, and many other amazing qualities.
There are professional caregivers and informal caregivers: those that get compensated for their work and those who do not receive any type of compensation. Both types of caregivers are incredibly valuable – to individuals and to our society. Without caregivers, I honestly don’t know where we’d be as a people group. It would be a much darker world, in my opinion.
Caregiving is no small task. Caregiving for the aging is more than just the strength it takes to help someone up from their chair. It’s more than preparing a meal, throwing some laundry in the wash, or helping someone in the bathroom. While it is and can include very physical tasks, it also includes the heart and soul that one gives to the other.
The emotional labor associated with caregiving frequently goes unrecognized and is at times undervalued. The thoughtfulness and dedication required to anticipate and address another’s needs can be intense.
Imagine a day in the life of a caregiver. You wake up, get yourself ready for the day, and brew large quantities of coffee. You know today will include a grocery run, so you begin to mentally think through the coming week and what meals your loved one enjoys as well as their dietary and nutritional needs. You start your list.
While writing your list, you remember their doctor’s appointment later that day, planning to ensure there is time to get there and gas in the car. You carefully choose clothes for them, ones that make it easy for a blood pressure cuff to function properly, and easy to use the restroom at a moment’s notice, if needed. You pack the extra incontinence supplies in your purse, and you tuck the travel medication supply in your glove box, in case there is an emergency of some kind.
Every day, you carry the burden of knowing the diseases and diagnoses they
struggle with. You carry the burden of knowing what the road ahead might look like. You carry the burden of providing comfort when the days are long and hard, when sad days engulf them, when grief and loss feel like they’re suffocating you both.
But! With these burdens also comes an incredible gift – the joy of helping others. The joy of helping those you love and care about. The purpose you feel, knowing what kind of a difference you are making, even when it doesn’t feel big on the long and hard days.
According to Area Agencies on Aging Association of Michigan, there are an estimated 1.73 million unpaid caregivers in the state of Michigan alone. If you are one of them, I want you to know how valuable you are. You are having an incredibly positive impact on the lives of those you care for.
Both unpaid and compensated caregivers contribute significantly, each playing an essential role in delivering positive impact. We want every caregiver to know they are not alone on this journey. Alongside you stand a community of aging and disability experts, ready to assist and guide you through each step. There is a wealth of resources available to support you, ensuring you have what you need not only to care for others, but also to care for yourself and prevent burnout.
Please check out our website: areaagencyonaging.org/caregiver-resources – for a multitude of caregiver resources: from a caregiver newsletter to a sundry of caregiver support groups, both online and in-person, and much more. Or reach out to us via phone (800) 654-2810 or make an appointment for an in-person conversation. We are here for you and your family.
Emily Marshall is a care manager supervisor/social worker for Region IV Area Agency on Aging in Southwest Michigan. Call the Info-Line for Aging & Disability at 800-6542-810 or visit www.areaagencyonaging.org. The Generations column appears each weekend in The Herald-Palladium.