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National
Family
Caregivers
Month -
“Supercharge
Your
Caregiving”
By
Laydell
Wood
Harper
Tell Us
Detroit
DETROIT
-
November
is
Caregiver
Awareness
Month.
Caring
for a
family
member
or close
friend
is one
of the
most
important
roles
you’ll
ever
play.
Thanks
to
President
Barak
Obama,
for
giving a
voice to
National
Family
Caregivers.
Caregiver
Awareness
is a
designation
that was
long
overdue.
More
than 60
Million
caregivers
provide
valuable
strength
and
assistance
to their
family
members,
neighbors,
or
friends.
And as
the
number
of older
Americans
increases,
so will
the
number
of
caregivers.
This is
one of
the
largest
groups
of
unsung
heroes.
Caregivers
come in
all
ages,
genders,
disciplines,
and
nationalities.
The
important
work
that
they
perform
does not
discriminate.
“No
matter
who you
are, at
some
point in
the
future,
you’ll
either
be a
caregiver
or need
one,”
says Jo
Ann
Jenkins,
CEO,
AARP.
According
to AARP,
of the
estimated
40
million
unpaid
family
caregivers
in the
United
States,
about 1
in 4 are
millennials.
73
percent
of
millennial
family
caregivers
also
have a
job, a
proportion
higher
than any
other
generation.
In
addition
to
working,
they
spend on
average,
21 hours
a week
caring
for
loved
ones –
the
equivalent
of a
part
time job
(53
percent
of
millennial
caregivers
work
full
time; 31
percent
work
part
time).
And, 54
percent
say
their
caregiving
role
affects
their
work in
a
significant
way, and
most
also say
that
their
supervisors
nor
their
coworkers
know
that
they
have
caregiving
responsibilities.
This
new
Caregiver
Awareness
designation
has
opened
the door
for
caregivers
and
recipients
to share
their
story in
hopes
that
their
story
will
help
others.
Last
month
the
Detroit
Free
Press
ran a
front
page
story
about
Bill
Freehan,
said to
be one
of the
greatest
Detroit
Tigers
ever.
Freehan
suffers
from
dementia,
and has
suffered
for many
years.
This
story is
the
first
time his
wife,
who is
also his
caregiver,
has
publicly
shared
his
story.
Another
example,
the new
movie,
“What
They
Had,”
starring
Blythe
Danner
and
Hilary
Swank;
in which
Danner
plays an
Alzheimer’s
disease
patient
and
Swank
portrays
her
daughter
who
clashes
with her
brother
over
proper
care of
their
mom.
Both
stars
have had
real
life
caregiving
experience.
Danner
cared
for her
husband
of 32
years
during
his on
and off
battle
with
oral
cancer.
And
Swank
cared
for her
father
who
underwent
a lung
transplant.
The film
is about
love,
family,
Alzheimer’s
and
Caregiving.
The
Southeast
Michigan
Coalition
to
Transform
Advanced
Illness
Care
(SEMATAC
is a
faith-based
initiative
created
at
Hartford
Memorial
Baptist
Church
of
Detroit
to
address
the
growing
needs in
the
community
to care
for the
sick and
incapacitated,
but also
to
celebrate
the
often
forgotten
caregiver.
SEMATAC
originated
in the
church
because
more and
more
family
members
are
turning
to the
church
for
mental
and
spiritual
healing.
They
have
been
suddenly
thrust
into
situations
with no
preparation
and
training
for what
is
required
of them.
The
patient
and
family
more
often
than not
feel
ineffective
and
abandoned
during
their
most
vulnerable
time and
turn to
Church
pastors
and
their
community
leaders
for
consultation
and
support.
“Whereas
the
medical
community
is
focused
on
“Cure”
we are
focused
on
“Healing,”
said
Edith
Clifton,
SEMATAC
member.
“We
maintain
that
healing
involves
the
body,
mind and
spirit
and seek
to
educate
and
engage
the
modalities
that
lead to
living
life in
abundance
regardless
of the
medical
state.”
Please
join
Southeast
Michigan
Coalition
to
Transform
Advanced
Illness
Care
(SEMATAC)
as they
celebrate,
acknowledge
and
recognize
ALL
caregivers
in every
congregation,
community
organization
and
others
who have
accepted
the
challenge
to be a
caregiver
in
someone’s
life on
Sunday,
November
18, 2018
Caregivers
Recognition
Sunday
at both
7:30 am
& 11 am
service.
The
event
will be
held at
Hartford
Memorial
Baptist
Church,
18700
James
Couzens,
Detroit.
Other
Caregiver
events:
AARP
will
sponsor
AKA
National
Caregiver
Impact
Day,
Friday,
Nov. 16,
from
10am-2:30pm
at Wayne
State
University
Community
Arts
Auditorium,
450
Reuther
Mall.
For more
information
call
(877)
926-8300
or
email:
jkeesler@aarp.org
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