A day to show caregivers we care

Today is National Caregivers Day. Though not as publicized as other designated days dotting the calendar, National Caregivers Day honors those who selflessly provide both physical and emotional support to those who need it most.

Caregivers comprise several categories and aren’t just limited to the health care sector. They perform essential duties, from medical aid to personal grooming. They range from unpaid volunteers to those whose wages remain on the lower rung of the health sector’s pay ladder.

For this reason, the Providers Association for Home Health & Hospice Agencies, PAHHHA, established the third Friday in February as National Caregivers Day in 2015. Its aim is to dedicate a day annually to recognize and appreciate caregivers everywhere.

According to a report by the Gallup-healthways Well-being Index, caregivers’ duties involve six days in a month grooming, feeding, dressing, bathing and walking, 13 days a month commuting, cleaning, doing laundry, monitoring medication, shopping and cooking special meals. Beyond that, 13 hours a month are spent coordinating visits with physicians, researching symptoms and diseases, and managing finances.

The low wages of these truly compassionate individuals who care for our vulnerable loved ones have created critical worker shortages in the nursing-home industry.

Nursing homes report that staff vacancies remain at “historic highs,” as seniorcare facilities struggle to find and retain people qualified to care for the state’s most needy residents. It’s unsurprising given that many caregivers barely earn more than their state’s minimum wage, putting them in the category of the working poor if they don’t have other means of earning a living.

Moreover, the National Alliance for Caregiving and the American Association of Retired Persons, AARP, reported that in 2020, an estimated 53 million caregivers in the U.S. received no compensation.

Many caregivers are elders themselves. The average age of caregivers looking after a person 65 years or older is 63, with many of them in poor health themselves.

That’s why on National Caregivers Day, we should be there for them, just as they are for those we entrust in their care.

We can show our appreciation in several ways, including the following:

Take time to thank a caregiver for their dedication and care of our loved ones.

Give them a card of thanks — a heartfelt gesture that will mean a lot.

Recognize that person with a kind word of encouragement.

Tell their supervisor how much you appreciate their services.

Employers can provide a special appreciation luncheon.

Use #Nationalcaregiversday to post on social media.

Caregivers do the vital work of keeping our elderly or infirmed loved ones safe. Today, let them know how much we’re in their debt.