Holidays happen once a year, but caregiving is year-round. Why wait until a special holiday to give a gift to a family caregiver in your life? Instead, look for ways to incorporate caring for the caregiver as part of your daily or weekly routine. Caregivers play a vital role in society's well-being and helping them helps us all.

Why is it important to support caregivers?

Caregivers are all around us. In fact, the number of family caregivers is increasing. Over 50 million adults provide care to an adult or a child, with nearly 80% of them providing care to someone over the age of 50. Over half of all caregivers are over the age of 50 themselves. And most caregivers are female (61%), and 39% are male.¹ 

Chances are, you have either been a caregiver, will be a caregiver, or have been cared for yourself. Caregiving is truly about all of us.

Supporting caregivers with gifts and assistance is important for many reasons. For one, it helps maintain overall quality of care for the care recipient. By assisting caregivers and honoring what they do, we ensure that those in need receive high-quality care. Support also means that caregiver burnout can be eased. Caregiving is both physically and emotionally demanding, often leading to stress, burnout, and health problems for the caregiver.

Additionally, being there for the caregiver in your life—even doing something as simple as calling them once each week—can help prevent the social isolation that comes with caring all day for a loved one. Finally, supporting caregivers can provide you with the tools and training that you may someday need to be a caregiver yourself.

8 thoughtful gifts for caregivers to show you care

There are an infinite number of ways that you can help the caregiver in your life with small gifts. Whatever you give to your caregiver doesn't have to be expensive or elaborate.

Here are a 8 caregiver gift suggestions to get you started:

• Time. This is perhaps the most precious gift of all. Offer to provide respite care or arrange for professional caregivers to step in temporarily so that the caregiver can have some time off to take a break and focus on their own needs.
• Self-care. Caregivers often neglect their own well-being while focusing on others. Gift them items that encourage relaxation and self-care such as scented candles, special lotions, or a cozy blanket. A spa gift certificate could also provide them with a well-deserved break (and remember to include respite care so they can go without worrying about scheduling around their caregiving responsibilities).
• Specialty care. Has your line of work or your personal experience given you a skill that could benefit the caregiver? Offer that skill to them or teach them what you know.
• Audiobooks or podcasts. A caregiver doesn’t always have time to sit down and read a book, but they can have one read aloud for them—or listen to a podcast—while they are doing other things. Choose titles that cater to their interests, whether it's fiction, history, or a subject they're passionate about.
• Meals. If you love cooking, consider taking the caregiver a meal occasionally or joining a meal train that is already set up for them. If cooking is not your thing, gift a subscription to a meal delivery service that offers nutritious, pre-prepared meals.
• Rides. Getting to appointments, either for themselves or their care recipient, can be complicated for the caregiver. If you are able to, offer to drive them to their scheduled appointments. If you are not able to drive, provide them with taxi or rideshare credits that they can use themselves.
• Gift cards. Gift cards to their favorite restaurant, grocery store, coffee shop, or drug store allow caregivers to treat themselves to something they enjoy without worrying about the expense.
• Touching base. Set reminders to touch base with the caregiver via regular calls, e-mails, and text messages, or by dropping by their home if you live nearby. This simple gift helps maintain your close bond, lets them know that you’re thinking of them, and also may alert you to a more pressing need that you can assist with.

By offering support and valuing caregivers, we acknowledge the importance of their role and we help contribute to the social fabric. And while it’s wonderful to acknowledge caregivers on special occasions, contributing small gifts and assistance year-round reaps the biggest rewards by helping them maintain their own well-being as well as that of their care recipient all of the time. If you have a caregiver in your life, reach out to them today with a simple gift.

Source

1. National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP. Caregiving in the U.S. 2020. Washington, DC: May 2020. Found on the Internet at https://www.caregiving.org/caregiving-in-the-us-2020/.