Who is a caregiver?
The general term caregiver applies to any one—family member, friend, spouse, neighbor, or a paid employee that assists someone. A family caregiver is just that, an unpaid family member that helps a loved one while sometimes working full time, raising young children, or maintaining other core responsibilities. Sometimes a caregiver is a spouse or adult child, but a caregiver can even be grandparents raising grandchildren.
Caregivers have a variety of roles and responsibilities, but most often are the primary care for everyday life for their loved ones. The duties range from handling all finances and legal matters to being a companion and friend.
Most often, a caregiver is on call 100% of the time 24/7. They often assist their loved one from morning till night, doing a wide range of home services like cooking and cleaning to arranging and attending medical appointments and leading medical care decisions.
If this sounds like you or someone you know, we have a variety of resources and services that may help your situation.