National Family Caregivers Month: A Time to Honor Those Caring for a Loved One
National Family Caregivers Month – celebrated each November – is a time to recognize and honor family caregivers across the country. Caregiver Action Network (CAN), the nation’s leading family caregiver organization, selects each year’s theme for National Family Caregivers Month and spearheads the celebration of National Family Caregivers Month nationally.
For National Family Caregivers Month 2021, the #CaregiverAnd Campaign encourages family caregivers to celebrate the identities and passions that enrich their lives. This digital campaign highlights the roles, activities, and passions that make up the lives of family caregivers. #CaregiverAnd also raises awareness of family caregivers as people realize that their daughter’s piano teacher may be caring for her husband with lung cancer, or the mail carrier they see every day may be caring for his dad with Alzheimer’s.
Far too often the role of family caregiver overshadows the identity of those caring for their loved ones. As family caregivers juggle their many responsibilities, they may lose sight of who they are beyond the caregiver role. As you focus all your attention on caring for your mom with leukemia, the fact that you’re an architect who loves to do crossword puzzles sometimes gets pushed to the side—and this campaign aims to change that. A person’s sense of self makes their life complete. This is an essential component of self-care that can ultimately prevent caregiver burnout and depression.
“We believe that #CaregiverAnd will help family caregivers recognize that there is more to their life than their caregiving responsibilities,” said John Schall, CAN CEO. “People will see themselves as a caregiver, but also who they are and what the passions that drive them. It is critical not to lose sight of who you are. Your sense of self makes your life complete."
“The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson is proud to support CAN’s #CaregiverAnd campaign which celebrates Generation CareTM – family caregivers who transcend age, race, geography and gender,” said Katie Mazuk, Vice President, Patient Engagement & Customer Solutions, Janssen Biotech, Inc. “Improving health outcomes for patients is a top priority, but we know this can only be accomplished by empowering and supporting caregivers.”
More information on the campaign can be accessed here. Be sure to follow and like CAN on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
About CAN
Caregiver Action Network (www.CaregiverAction.org) is the nation’s leading family caregiver organization working to improve the quality of life for more than 90 million Americans who care for loved ones with chronic conditions, disabilities, disease, or the frailties of old age. CAN serves a broad spectrum of family caregivers ranging from the parents of children with significant health needs, to the families and friends of wounded soldiers; from a young couple dealing with a diagnosis of MS, to adult children caring for parents with Alzheimer’s disease. CAN reaches caregivers on multiple platforms. CAN (the National Family Caregivers Association) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing education, peer support, and resources to family caregivers across the country free of charge.