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November
is
Family
Caregiver
Month
By
Laydell
Wood
Harper
tellusdetroit.com
November
is
Family
Caregiver
Month,
created
to draw
attention
and
appreciation
to
family
members
that are
sacrificing
every
day to
care for
a loved
one.
It’s not
an easy
job, but
it’s a
rewarding
job. At
some
point
each and
every
one of
us will
take on
the role
of
Caregiver;
whether
it be a
caregiver
for your
mother,
father,
sibling
or a
friend
or
neighbor
someone
in your
life
will
need
your
help.
It
wasn’t
until
former
President
Barack
Obama
proclaimed
November
“National
Caregivers
Awareness
Month,”
in 2012
that
prior to
that all
of this
important
work was
going
unnoticed.
This is
a time
to honor
those
who are
providing
caregiving
for
those
who are
incapacitated
and
suffering
from a
debilitating
or
terminal
illness
that
renders
them
unable
to take
care of
themselves.
Celebrated
every
November,
National
Family
Caregivers
Month
(NFCM)
is a
time to
recognize
and
honor
family
caregivers
across
the
country.
This
important
day
offers
an
opportunity
to raise
awareness
of
caregiving
issues,
educate
communities,
and
increase
support
for
caregivers.
But it
also
offers
an
opportunity
to learn
and grow
as a
caregiver.
And of
course,
there is
a lot to
learn.
Here are
just a
few tips
to make
caregiving
for a
loved
one just
a little
easier;
Learn
how to
communicate
effectively
with
doctors,
Get
support
from
other
caregivers,
accept
offers
to help
and be
specific
as to
how they
can
help,
organize
medical
information
so that
its up
to date
and
readily
available,
and by
all
means
make
sure
legal
documents
are in
order,
you
never
know
when
you’ll
need
them.
Many of
us are
in
uncharted
water
when it
comes to
caregiving
so any
advice
or
suggestion
would be
helpful.
The
Southeast
Michigan
Association
to
Transform
Care
(SEMATAC)
was
formed
in 2014
at
Hartford
Memorial
Baptist
Church
for just
that
reason;
to
impact
primary
concerns
of
African
Americans
faced
with
serious
illness,
treatment
options,
and in
some
cases
total
disregard
for
their
human
dignity.
There
are so
many
misconceptions.
At a
recent
caregiver
event
sponsored
by
SEMATAC.
after
each
caregiver
came up
to tell
their
personal
caregiver
story,
Edith
Clifton,
SEMATAC
Chair
commented,
“This
event
was eye
opening
for us
because
we
discovered
that a
large
number
of
caregivers
are men.
The
misconception
is
caregivers
are
mostly
women.”
Long
time
patient
advocate,
SEMATA
founding
member
and
C-TAC
(Coalition
to
Transform
Advanced
Care)
Board
member
Shirley
D.
Roberson
who
sadly
passed
away in
January
2022 was
a living
example
of how
important
it is to
know how
to
communicate
effectively
with
Doctors.
She
worked
tirelessly
to
improve
patient
care by
sharing
her
“blue
chair”
story.”
Ms.
Roberson
was a
dedicated
patient
advocate
and
artist
with
firsthand
knowledge
of the
challenges
that
come
with
navigating
a
serious
illness.
Ms.
Roberson,
who was
courageously
living
with
stage
four
breast
cancer,
shared
an
example
of her
experience
in the
“Blue
Chair”
story,
during a
keynote
session
at the
2018
C-TAC
Summit
in
Denver.
When
faced
with a
doctor
who was
not
listening
to her
concerns,
she
instructed
him to
sit down
in a
nearby
blue
chair so
that she
could
clearly
express
her
concerns
while
the
doctor
finally
listened.
Roberson
told her
“Blue
Chair”
story
time and
time
again
until
“The
Blue
Chair”
became
the
centerpiece
for the
annual
national
C-TAC
conference
in
Washington
D.C
attended
by C-TAC
members
from
across
the
United
States.
This
year
SEMATAC
presented
the
first
“Blue
Chair”
Award to
four
outstanding
caregivers
from
local
Detroit
churches.
This
will be
an
annual
event.
The
group
originated
in the
church
because
more and
more
family
members
are
turning
to the
church
for
mental
and
spiritual
healing.
Last
year the
SEMATAC
group
gave
Caregivers
an
opportunity
to tell
their
own
Caregiver
story.
Caregiving
can be
both
tough
and
demanding.
According
to
Caregiving
in the
US 2020,
a report
published
by AARP
and the
National
Alliance
for
Caregiving,
the
average
duration
of
caregiving
is 4.5
years.
Much
longer
than
many
family
members
anticipate
when
they
take on
this
role.
Here are
a few
suggestions
to give
a
caregiver
during
Family
Caregivers
month or
anytime:
offer a
few
hours of
respite
time to
a family
caregiver
so they
can
spend
time
with
friends,
or
simply
relax.
Or send
a card
of
appreciation
or a
bouquet
of
flowers
to
brighten
a family
caregiver's
day.
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