I’m not a caregiver, am I?

COVID-19 brought to the forefront the stress that caregivers face every day, underscoring that they often lack the support they need. Many who read or watched their stories think they are exempt from this complex situation. Some assume the term “caregiver” refers only to professionals like nurses, in-home workers and long-term-care facility employees who are paid to care for people who need help.

However, 21% of Americans are unpaid caregivers*, providing care to parents, spouses, children, friends and neighbors and assisting with routine, day-to-day activities.

The care provided by unpaid family caregivers could include helping with errands, cooking, cleaning, working in the yard, budgeting, paying bills, assisting with medications or providing transportation. But it also can be as basic as providing company or checking in to make sure someone is feeling better. In these broad terms, even those who think they are exempt from being a caregiver may actually be caregivers.

Are you still not sure if you’re a caregiver? Check the list below to see if you’ve helped someone with the following:

• Coordinating care or appointments with providers
• Managing their finances and paying bills (sometimes even out of your own pocket)
• Running errands or picking up a few items at the store (again, sometimes paying out of your own pocket)
• Getting around, including helping with transferring from chair to bed (or vice versa) or driving to appointments
• Doing yard work or shoveling snow
• Doing household chores, including cooking, cleaning and basic maintenance
• Visiting when they are lonely
• Taking their dog for a walk
• Setting up daily medication
• Helping with personal needs, such as dressing, personal grooming, bathing and feeding
• Stopping by to check on their condition
• Operating equipment like hospital beds, wheelchairs, hearing aids, oxygen tanks or nebulizers
• Providing basic medical care, such as dressing a wound, therapy, ventilator care, administering medications or injections
• Troubleshooting with electronics, such as remote controls, cell phones and tablets

The first step for caregivers to be able to secure the support and resources they need to provide the best care for their loved one is to recognize that they are, in fact, caregivers. If you checked off any of the boxes above, you are very likely a caregiver.

*Caregiving in the U.S. – The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP, May 2020.