•November 9, 2022•
Cheri Burcham
Extension Educator
U of I Extension

We all know someone who is providing care for someone else. They may be caring for an older parent, a disabled adult child, or a spouse suffering from a traumatic injury or chronic illness. Even parents raising children are considered caregivers. Caregivers give of themselves without expecting anything in return, and they rarely think of themselves first.
National Family Caregiver Month is coming up in November. According to the 2020 update from the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, Caregiving in the U.S. 2020 update, nearly 48 million people in the U.S. provide care for someone over the age of 18. 61% of them continue to work while providing care. Although there tends to be an average profile for caregivers, their population is greatly diverse representing both genders and all races, cultures and ages. It is a rewarding experience for most, but also has many challenges. Caregivers experience many difficult emotions along their journey and can also experience many losses including loss of privacy, freedom, money, identity and work.     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.