WAOWEEEE! A significant milestone in today’s ever-changing fast-paced world where things appear be permanent… until they’re not.
The Caregiver’s Voice passed a major milestone last year when we celebrated our 20th Anniversary. This is a major fete for a small independently run site that has a global audience.
It seemed fitting then to celebrate 1,000 articles. We crossed this milestone last week on the 6th of November.
In truth, we’ve published twice as MANY articles. Then why celebrate 1,000?
We’ve been publishing since 1998. We began with an AOL member site, then migrated to a custom-created site. (Thank you, Kevin Fisher!) Later, we worked with Monkey C Media to create a themed site and then with SDIM. Finally, thanks to the creative designs by Jessie Phillips we have this beautiful site (I’m biased) that Jaci Pierce makes sure runs right. During one of the earlier transitions, we were unable to move about 1000 articles since 1998 to the current site.
In an ever-changing landscape where people seem to shine bright like a fire cracker and then fizzle out (this is hard work!), we’re proud of our 21 years of service from 1998 to through 2019.
Since January 2010, we’ve averaged over 100 articles a year. Such consistent accomplishment is rare online. ONE THOUSAND ARTICLES.
Here’s the January 2010 article that begins this celebratory count. Surprisingly the content still applies!
How do we balance responsibilities while taking care of ourselves?
More than Two Million Visitors
The Caregiver’s Voice – a small independent site – has likely touched over two million people worldwide with helpful articles about caregiving for people with dementia. Imagine that! Our independence frees us to post articles without hidden agendas – an issue that is increasingly clouding credibility online.
Next year, in 2020, we’ll exercise clear vision to review and delete articles that no longer have a benefit, such as an event announcement or a call for caregiver nominations.
“The Caregiver’s Voice” – Why This Name?
While reflecting on our name – The Caregiver’s Voice – I realize how far we’ve come. I chose this name early on when caregivers silently cared for their loved ones. Feeling guilty for being exhausted, losing their temper, or stepping out of the room when their loved one needed them, too many caregivers toiled quietly yet lovingly without proper support.
Twenty years later we have greater community support options, greater awareness, and less stigma. Today, we have social media options to make it easy to connect with others walking a similar road. Caregivers’ voices are no longer silent. We are being heard.
FOUR highlights from The Caregiver’s Voice.
TIPS for Caregivers
Beyond tips for caregivers and guest articles, we recently launched “curated articles excerpts” to provide busy readers like you a quick glance at diverse topics each month.
Caregiver of the Month
While we love praising caregivers with recognition, our selection team and I found the competitive process to be uncomfortable. Fortunately, there are more venues today, like the 142,000-member strong Molly’s Movement on Facebook, for caregivers to share their experiences and even inspire others in ways unimaginable.
Voices with Dementia
I loved doing these interviews with people with dementia. Sometimes, they had to remind me of things and we’d laugh because they were the ones diagnosed. More people with dementia are being diagnosed earlier. Some are able and willing to speak for themselves and advocate for others.
The Caregiver’s Voice Review
We typically do in depth reviews of each product, book, or service. While free to those who desire reviews, it costs us about 10 hours on average and sometimes as many as 20. We evaluate each effort based on the resources we have at the time. While some sites have moved to charging for reviews, we have not yet taken this step.
Finally, from mid-December to early January, I’m going to do something I haven’t done in 21 years. I’m taking a much-deserved break.
You’ll still receive The Caregiver’s Voice Newsletter in your inbox on New Year’s Day. We begin our 11th year producing these monthly newsletters. (While asked, we’ve never shared our subscribers’ information.) Subscribe now.
To keep up with current happenings visit us at The Caregiver’s Voice page on Facebook at CAREatTCV
