For as long as I can remember, Caregiver Action Network (formerly, the National Family Caregivers Association) spearheaded National Family Caregivers Month in the U.S. It was especially significant since up until the early 2000s, caregivers typically endured the challenges of caregiving silently and alone.
While most caregivers are women in their prime-earning years, awareness is growing among all groups of caregivers. Additionally, national policies are taking into consideration the needs of caregivers with tax credits and other incentives. Caregivers give up a lot when we take a step back to provide care. We lose years of benefits such as health insurance, contributions to our retirement accounts, and increased wages to raise our Social Security benefits after we retire.
When I began as a family caregiver, few spoke of their experiences. As a result, The Caregiver’s Voice became the global platform for family caregivers to freely share their experiences.
Caregiver Action Network’s (CAN) campaign this year, echoes awareness of the person beyond the role or disease. Years ago, when speaking of a disability we’d say, “handicapped,” or “senile.” Today, we say, “person with a disability” or “person with dementia.” Person first, disease or role, second. CAN’s #CaregiverAnd campaign acknowledges that caregivers are more than just people who provide care. We are people who have careers, volunteer commitments, and more.
View this 7-minute video (No sound) #CaregiverAnd from Caregiver Action Network (CAN) on Vimeo
Caregiver Action Network #CaregiverAnd campaign
#CaregiverAnd from Caregiver Action Network (CAN) on Vimeo.
Additional info
Eight years ago, we promoted CAN’s caregiver awareness campaign: National Family Caregivers Month in the U.S.
