Over the past two years, I have come across so many excellent resources for family caregivers.  The aging services genuinely understand the hard work and dedication that goes into being a family caregiver and from what I’ve seen they want to help!

I was in a seminar the other day, and the presenter discussed this very sentiment, and at the end of her presentation, she said that if given a chance, we should all make a point to say “thank you” to a family caregiver.

And it is true. I speak with family caregivers everyday, and while none of them are looking for a thank you the moment you say it to them you give them a chance to reflect on their situation, and hopefully help them recognize all that they do!

Ways to say thank you to a Caregiver

It can be difficult to watch from the sidelines as another family member steps in as the family caregiver.  It is hard to know how to help them as they provide care, and yet sometimes a simple “thank you” can go a really long way.

Here are a few great resources I found that offer little ways to say “Thank You” to the caregiver in your life:

Sally Jennings has created a series of free versus for greeting cards and personal letters: https://greeting-cards.speak-read-write.com/thank-senior-caregiver-verse.html

Caring Village shares 7 ways to thank a caregiver in their post https://www.caringvillage.com/2017/11/06/7-ways-thank-caregiver/.

The Institute on Aging offers a few ways that are truly heartfelt https://blog.ioaging.org/caregiving/how-can-you-tell-a-caregiver-thank-you-with-words-that-are-truly-heartfelt/.

Rosemary Rawlins, Caregiver wrote on Brainline.org 5 things that Caregiver with you would say https://www.brainline.org/blog/learning-accident/five-things-caregivers-wish-you-would-say.

Thank YOU! From, The Upside to Aging

There is no one size fits all description of a family caregiver and I say this because no matter what type of caregiver you are you deserve recognition for the work that you do.  With that I want to say thank you to all those caregivers who..

Thank you to all those caregivers who didn’t know their loved one needed help and when you found out, you did something.

Thank you to the caregivers who have opened their doors to their loved one they are providing care to.

Thank you to the caregivers who have done everything to keep their loved one in their own home for as long as they can.

Thank you to the caregivers who took the time to find the right nursing home or assisted living for their loved one to live in.

Thank you to the caregivers who live far away but still make time to call and visit.

Thank you to the caregivers who care for someone living with dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Thank you for every appointment you scheduled (or rescheduled) and every phone call you to make on their behalf.

Thank you for being a caregiver.  You are needed more than you could ever possibly know.

Caregivers are in a somewhat thankless job. While we may not always know how to help, one of the greatest things we can do is to acknowledge their hardwork and show our appreciation.