ATTENTION! Family caregivers all over the world…November is your month. November is Family Caregiver Awareness Month! It’s our time guys! To each and every one of you who has taken on the role of being the primary caregiver for your family member(s) who has Down Syndrome…whether you’re a mommy, daddy, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa…whomever…a big, warm, fantastic SHOUT OUT to you.
This is the month when we let the world know that family caregivers exists and we are in every sphere of life. It’s the time when we share our experiences…good and bad…and let society know how awesome we are and that we matter.
Caregiving in Crisis
Isolation. Fear. Anxiety. Lack of money. Lack of sleep.
Thousands of caregivers, worldwide, face these issues daily…and this was before the pandemic; so, can you imagine what caregivers are experiencing now?
In my opinion, society is indebted to family caregivers. Caregiving is a job…”Caregiver” is an actual job title…and most of us are out here doing it without any form of financial assistance. There are so many scenarios that we as caregivers find ourselves in:
- many of us became caregivers suddenly…all of a sudden, this heap of responsibility hit us like a ton of bricks;
- some of us have been caregivers for years;
- others are caregivers from a distance, meaning their loved one does not live with them, but they are in charge of ensuring that their loved one is taken care of;
- some of us work and be a caregiver at the same time
- others, are the sole caregiver for their loved one…no support in sight
- many of us have our own families and then have to balance that with being the caregiver of our sibling(s)
- and the list goes on.
Family Caregivers Need Support
So, this year, for the entire month of November, HappyDowns will be discussing issues in the areas of mental health, finances, advocacy for family caregivers and creating a strong caregiver community.
If you are the caregiver of a family member who is a teenager or adult who has Down Syndrome, please ensure that you visit us all month to get the latest!
Submit Your Caregiver Confessions!
Having a support system is beyond necessary. That is why we at HappyDowns decided to create “Caregiver Confessions”, where we can all share the difficult moments that we have experienced and are still experiencing and provide feedback and support to each other. Let’s build each other up! Let’s ensure that other caregivers out there who feel alone know without any doubt that they are not alone. Read more about Caregiver Confessions here and submit your experience.
Help Us To Build a Strong Caregiver Community
Please ensure that you let us know your thoughts and opinions on the various articles that we will be publishing this month. You will be shocked at how many other caregivers are feeling the same exact way that you do or have experienced similar things to you. We have to be there for each other. We have to share our experiences to educate the world and each other of what life is really like to be a family caregiver…the good, the bad and the ugly.
HappyDowns is a safe space for caregivers to be real about what is going on in their lives and it is a space where you can possibly touch the lives of hundreds of people by just letting them know that you too are a family caregiver and you do share in their plight.
So, we are calling all family caregivers, all over the world, to help us to build a strong caregiver community. We can’t wait to hear from you guys!
Happy Family Caregiver Awareness Month!
