I was talking with Brian Costello, the CEO of Carespace and my colleague on the Carespace team, about the turmoil caregiving brings to our lives, especially in the beginning of the caregiving process. We tossed around the concept, too, about that defining moment when a caregiver realizes that their situation is real, and requires some quick, and some ongoing, research.

Their are millions of caregivers in the United States. We’re a huge demographic, so why don’t more of us identify ourselves as caregivers? In some cases, our work lives or other pursuits characterize us -- in other cases we are simply too overwhelmed to think about our lives as caregivers -- we feel abandoned and alone.

Most of us do not choose to become a caregiver. All things considered, we and the people we are taking care of would be much happier without this issue in our lives. Our introduction into the world of caregiving usually comes after obtaining a diagnosis. Then we begin the arduous process of finding information on the array of issues involved in all aspects of caregiving. As we at Carespace have found, it is difficult to find information you can trust, and it is very difficult to find other caregivers.

For the person suddenly faced with caregiving, of a child, parent, partner, or spouse, life changes in every way. The financial burden alone can be shattering. Emotions go on a roller coaster ride. There are legal issues to grapple with, lifestyle changes, in some cases even home construction projects to plan. Scheduling is paramount, and time is a precious commodity. Still, the emotional extremes and real issues caregivers experience have gone largely unacknowledged.

There is no monolithic, unified voice for caregivers -- no union, no lobbying group, no political action committee. It’s time for that to change. We’re not alone, we don’t have to struggle along by ourselves, and there is much to be gained from our collective wisdom. Each one of us has a unique story to tell from which all of us can learn, through all of the stages of caregiving. Our mission at Carespace is to provide the platform and the opportunity for all of the diverse voices of caregivers to have a place to connect, talk, share stories, ask questions, get answers.

Thomas Falconer
Editor-in-Chief
Carespace.com

Comments

[abbyg]

when will the site be live?