Who is a Caregiver?

Today, during your morning commute, your first coffee break, or your first meeting, tens of millions of family caregivers were hard at work. They were offering a steady hand to their elderly loved ones to prevent a fall. They were preparing breakfast, helping their loved ones get dressed, and sorting out the day's medications. Then they move on to thinking about and planning activities or appointments for the day. Then next planning the commute home, with grocery shopping or a quick stop at the pharmacy. Several of these family caregivers do these as they maintain their health, performance at work, children, and/or spouses. This may have been you today as you transitioned into your work day.

But what exactly does it mean to be a caregiver?

It is wise to define whom we are speaking about. The terms care partner, caretaker, custodian, helper, and family member are all terms sometimes used in place of the word 'caregiver'.

Caregiver.org defines a caregiver as: "Any relative, partner, friend, or neighbor who has a significant personal relationship with, and provides a broad range of assistance for, an older person or an adult with a chronic or disabling condition.? These individuals may be primary or secondary caregivers and live with, or separately from, the person receiving care."

Wikipedia offers its definition as: "A caregiver or carer is a paid or unpaid member of a person's social network who helps them with activities of daily living. Since they have no specific professional training, they are often described as informal caregivers."

I have also often seen this quote used to encapsulate the global relevance and fluidity of a caregiver:

"There are only four kinds of people in this world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers. Caregiving is universal."- Rosalynn Carter, Former First Lady of the United States of America.

A Google search provides several other definitions which resemble these in some way. While I agree with them, the definition of a caregiver to an elderly person for me is so much more.

I define a caregiver as someone who either paid or unpaid, expected or unexpected, provides loving devotion to an elderly loved one. Their challenge is exhausting and life-altering. Yet, they persevere and provide selfless emotional, mental, physical, financial, and social support. They are successful because of sacrifice, mindset shifts, personal growth, and skill acquisition. Despite resentment and exhaustion, they remain the foundation of their elderly relatives' health.

I am sharing a very short list of words that are all descriptors of a good caregiver at various times or stages during their journey:

full-time, struggling, patient, anxious,

responsible, confused, invaluable, worried,

resourceful, overwhelmed, purpose, grieving,

curious, impatient, gratitude, neglect.

If you have had any experience as a caregiver to an elderly loved one, which of these would suit you? What other words would you add to my list?