Today’s reflection focuses on caregivers–especially those individuals who are unpaid for providing care for loved ones with serious medical issues. In order to appreciate these caregivers, we need to look at a few statistics. In the US alone, there are 63 million families (1 in 4 adults) serving as caregivers for an adult or child with a medical condition, disease, or disability. The median age of these caregivers is 50 years; 3 out of 5 are women. About 29% support both elderly adults and children at the same time. These caregivers have been dubbed “the sandwich generation.”

About 1 in 5 caregivers report their own health issues related primarily to stress. About 40% are trained to provide complex medical care–such as injections and wound care. About 50% report a severe financial toll involving debts or medical expenses. About 60% of family caregivers hold a job while simultaneously caring for a loved one. One more statstic: According to the AARP Public Policy Institute, unpaid family caregivers contribute an estimated $1.01 trillion in economic value annually to the U.S. healthcare structure. That exceeds the total U.S. Medicaid spending ($932 billion). Their contribution, however, often comes “at a severe personal cost.”

But these facts don’t begin to tell the human story of caregiving. As the investigative American journalist Paul Brodeur wrote, “Statistics are human beings with the tears wiped off.” So I’m offering a 5 min. video that tells the story of one family caregiver, a father (Greg) who cares for his ill adult son (Cory).

There are many resources online for support for caregivers. One website said the main needs for family caregivers are these:

1) educational resources on the specific health issues of their loved ones–for example dementia or cancer.

2) help for their emotional well-being. Some caregivers join a support group, seek individual counseling, rely heavily on a network of family members or friends, or even their parish or local resources.

3) caregivers need respite care for themselves. They need temporary relief from their caregiving role to attend to their own needs.

4) caregivers need financial and legal assistance.

What can we do to help our family caregivers? First, we can pray for them, for they are often bearing a heavy load. We can remember them in our petitions at Mass. We look at those four needs of caregivers listed above and see how we might help with one of those needs. Or we can ask them directly, “Is there anything I can do to help you?” Perhaps we can run small errands for them or stay with their loved one while they run a few errands. In Matthew 25:31-46 we Catholics find the basis of our traditional Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. One of the corporal works of mercy is “Visit the Sick.” But newer translations today say “Care for the sick.” In a similar way, one of the spiritual works of mercy is “Comfort the Afflicted” which is sometimes translated “Support those who are suffering.” In this time in our history and in our society, perhaps we need to extend those two works of mercy by including, “And pray for and help take care of our caregivers.”

Let us pray:

Divine Caregiver, we pray for all caregivers–those who have devoted their lives to caring for the ill

and those who, due to circumstances, are providing daily care for their loved ones.

Give them strength, patience, wisdom, and tenderness.

Help all of us to find concrete ways we can encourage and support caregivers in their selfless devotion.

And we pray that all those in our midst who are ill in any way,

may be treated with the dignity, expertise, and compassion

they need and rightfully deserve as our brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.

For reflection:

Did anything stand out for you in this reflection?

Have you been or are you currently a caregiver? Would you share a little of that experience with us below?

What do you think is the greatest challenge for a caregiver and the greatest support we can give them?

PBS has done a whole series of caregivers’ true stories. The videos are short and well-done. You might want to check out a few of them on the PBS website or YouTube.

PS: Thank you to our readers who came to our Chicken Barbecue last Sunday. It was wonderful meeting you!… I know we are having some glitches with my blog. Some readers tell me they don’t get the email on Monday saying that a new blog has been posted. Sometimes that email doesn’t come until late in the week. Just so you know, I post my blogs for Monday. You can search for my blog (using google, safari, etc.) on Monday or later in the week and it should be posted. Some readers say the blog won’t let them comment anymore. Other readers say they aren’t getting any readers’ comments. I will meet with our IT department shortly to address these issues, Thank you for your patience.

Our song today is “Loving God, Loving Each Other” by the Gaither Vocal Band. Sometimes we make Jesus’ teachings more complicated than they really are. This song reminds us of the essence of Jesus’ message given throughout his life–and especially to his disciples at the Last Supper:

I welcome your comments below!