The Cost of Caregiving: Losing Your Place

Caregivers Lose Their Place

When Pedro received a non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosis in the Spring of 2002, I had no idea that I’d joined a community that had no place to call home. Hundreds of thousands of family caregivers—from teenagers to octogenarians—belong to the community, but we often feel as if we don’t fit in.

In the hospital, we don’t speak the vocabulary that the medical professionals sling around as if we understand. At church, we become “So-and-so’s unfortunate mother/father/wife/husband/sister/brother/child.” People stop asking us how our loved one fairs, because, well, who wants to hear bad news all the time?

Some caregivers give up their place and their jobs to move home to take care of aging parents. Others relocate their family or add extra travel to their already busy lives.

Worst of all, we focus all of our energy on the one we care for—forgetting that we must take care of ourselves first, or we will have nothing left to give.

A Place for Caregivers

Whether you currently care for someone, or consider yourself a ‘recovering caregiver,’ this place is for you! We’d like to invite you to poke around the blog and see if any of the stories resonate with you. Even though caregiving feels lonely, you are NOT alone.

If you prefer a more interactive community, join us on Facebook at our secret Blessed (but Stressed) caregiver’s group. The community is small right now, but we’d like to create a space for current and recovering caregivers to support each other.

If you know a #caregiver that could use some #community, send them our way! Click To Tweet

If you’re not a caregiver, you might know one who would enjoy the community—send them our way! Together, we can share our stories and learn how to take care of ourselves so that we can better serve the ones we love.