While speaking at family caregiving events, I always ask each member of the audience to take the opportunity to spend time with the experts leading the sessions, as well as the service providers in the exhibit hall. These professionals have a tremendous amount of experience and wisdom to share and are usually anxious to answer questions.  I also tell them to look around the room and remember to talk with the true experts in caregiving among them, their fellow caregivers in attendance. 

As caregivers, it’s vital that we interact with the other care professionals on our loved one’s care team, but it is possibly even more important that we take time to interact with one another. What a wasted opportunity it is for us to stand in the pharmacy lines, sit in emergency waiting rooms and even wait for hospital elevators with others who are caring for loved ones and not spend time speaking with them. I guarantee you that in each of these conversations you are going to be surprised at what you will learn to help you as a caregiver and even more surprised at what you will be able to teach the other caregiver.  

I always learn something when talking with family caregivers. This weekend was a true living example of this phenomenon.   As I was discussing some options to ensure family involvement with a group of family caregivers, one caregiver raised her hand and told us of the monthly pot-luck dinners she would hold while caring for her mother at home.  All her family members were invited to attend.  At first, only four or five would show up, but after a while, people were driving in from neighboring states and some of her parties had over thirty-five family members joining in. Even if caregiving was not a major topic of discussion at each of these soirees, the family members were able to see her mom on a regular basis, which ended much of the misunderstanding starting to occur between herself  and her siblings.  After hearing her story, a family caregiver sitting in the row ahead of her said that she was sure this was the answer to her own family challenges and that she would host her first family event within the month.  Caregivers sharing wisdom with caregivers, now that’s the way it should be.

 

Gary Barg
Editor-in-Chief
gary@caregiver.com

PS. We had some great  responses to last week's editorial, and thought we would share some of them with you.  View responses.