Reeve Foundation Paralysis Community

It's National Family Caregivers month. Everyone knows a caregiver, whether it is their official job or just the job they inherited.  I remember watching my mom struggle with her mom as Alzheimer's slowly claimed her. My grandmother could get violent at times.

Take a minute before the avalanche that is the holiday season crashes down, and appreciate a caregiver. The National Family Caregivers Association has some ideas how you can do this:

• Offer a few hours of respite time to a family caregiver so they spend time with friends, or simply relax.
• Send a card of appreciation or a bouquet of flowers to brighten up a family caregiver’s day.
• Encourage local businesses to offer a free service for family caregivers through the month of November.
• Help a family caregiver decorate their home for the holidays or offer to address envelopes for their holiday cards.
• Offer comic relief! Purchase tickets to a local comedy club, give a family caregiver your favorite funny movie to view, or provide them an amusing audio book to listen to while doing their caregiving activities.
• Find 12 different family photos and have a copy center create a monthly calendar that the family caregiver can use to keep track of appointments and events.
• Offer to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for a caregiving family in your community, so they can just relax and enjoy the holiday.
• A United States postage stamp honoring the more than 50 million family caregivers in America is officially “under consideration” by the U.S. Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee for introduction as early as 20ll. Sign the petition at www.thefamilycaregiver.org and ask others to sign the petition letter.
• Help a family caregiver find information and resources on the internet or to locate a local support group.