Sometimes what we need most is simply for someone to not just look but to also see us.
I am not actively engaged in caregiving right now. But I have more friends that I can count on my fingers who are. It’s National Family Caregivers month. To support the Caregiver Assistance Campaign, I have joined with others to share the Random Acts of Kindness initiative in support of the 40 million unpaid caregivers in the U.S. Many of them are women and men just like you and me.
Believe or not, most caregivers are family members or friends who are working and managing their own families at the same time just as Amy Goyer shared in our conversation and in her new book, Juggling Life, Work and Caregiving. I decided to call each of my friends. No emails, texts or WhatsApps contacts, but to call them on Thanksgiving. I wanted to check in with them and to simply listen. What I did is not that big of a thing; but I felt it was an important act on my part to simply listen. In truly listening, I learned how in little ways I could actually help them that would make a difference in their lives.
I am committed to helping alleviate some of the daily stresses in my caregiver friends’ lives this year. #BeKindToCaregivers does not require massive action. It does require paying attention.
This is a sponsored post on behalf of Element Associates and Midlife Boulevard.
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