What a feeling it is to take care of someone whom you love—someone who may have taken care of you when you were younger. There are many unsung heroes currently taking care of their mothers, fathers, grandmothers, aunts, and such, and they don’t get a lot of credit. This is a hard and arduous task that can wear on you physically, mentally, and even emotionally—I know. Before my father passed in 2012, I was his caretaker and I was responsible for making sure he ate, went to the doctor, paid his bills, etc. Back then, I had no idea that there was support for caregivers, but last year through an initiative with AARP and the Ad Council, I got to know about National Caregivers Month, and about many resources available.
This year, I’m on a mission to share the Ad Council and AARP’s Caregivers Assistance campaign called Random Acts of Kindness for Caregivers.
Let’s be honest: even though there are services out there that can take care of loved ones for a fee, that isn’t an option for most. Like me, I wanted to take care of my father and he felt better with me handling his business affairs, errands, and running of his home than someone else. So it’s important that we lift these people up to show them that we care and that they matter. Passing the buck is easy, but rolling up your sleeves and taking care of your loved one is an act of love in itself.
This is how you can help:
- Simply share the Random Acts of Kindness for Caregivers campaign to everyone you know.
- Do something randomly nice for a caregiver, nothing’s too small.
- Share your story (or urge another caregiver to do so) here in 150 words or less and post a photo.
- The top 12 submissions judged to be the most original, creative and impactful will share a $10,000 prize pot. You can enter the contest once a week.
My Random Act of Kindness for a Caregiver in my life is pretty simple. I took my Aunt, who takes care of her elderly father and my grandmother primarily, for a nice dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. She does so much for others, so it was my pleasure to take her away for a little bit and treat her to a nice meal.
And it doesn’t hurt that my Aunt is one of my favorite people. I truly love her and how she puts us first.
You can continue the momentum by sharing the contest and campaign on your social media channels using the #BeKindtoCaregivers hashtag.
Caregivers, you rock. Thank you for all that you do!
My Mom was my Dad’s caregiver for the last two years of his life. She took time for herself twice a week to attend church and hired outside help. Otherwise, she was with him 24×7.
Thanks for sharing this campaign.
Thanks so much Joyce for reading and commenting. Your mother sounds like a great woman, and worthy of Random Acts of Kindness for Caregivers.