3 Essential Things You Should Know About Caregiving

Caregiving is often a misconceived job. Many people have little to no idea what it is really all about. By definition, caregiving is the activity or profession of looking after and providing care for a child, an elderly, or a sick or disabled person. Despite being a commonly used term, especially among families, many people still do not seem to understand the nature and process of caregiving. There is a lot of misconceptions surrounding this job or career.

For Eleanor Gaccetta, an author who has nine and a half years of experience in providing care for her elderly mother, the misconceptions of caregiving are detrimental and counterproductive for certain reasons. For one, these misconceptions can offer distractions or discouragement to family members who are trying to find caregiving services for their loved ones. More so, they can also distract or discourage someone from becoming a caregiver. To uplift the spirit of caregivers as well as the aspiring ones, there is a need to counter the misconceptions of caregiving and provide people with a greater knowledge about what caregiving essentially is.

If you are someone who aspires to become a caregiver someday, then this article is especially for you! Below are some of the most essential things that you should know about caregiving.

Caregiving does not require specific age nor gender

One of the common misconceptions of caregiving is that only adults and women can become caregivers. This is not true, of course. Caregiving does not require a person to be of a specific age nor gender to be able to provide care for others. Anyone, who has enough knowledge, capability, and dedication, can become a caregiver.

As explained in an article written by Eleanor Gaccetta, nowadays, it has become increasingly common for men to assume the responsibility of caregiving for their parents or partner. Similarly, there is also an increasing number of children (between the ages of 8 to 18) who bear the same responsibility of assisting or caring for an adult relative. So, in essence, there is not much requirements when it comes to who can be a caregiver. As long as you have enough knowledge about what you are doing and you are committed to it, you can be a caregiver yourself.

Caregiving is not always boring and exhausting

Most people view caregiving as merely a boring and exhausting job. This is, perhaps, the main reason why many people hesitate or refuse to assume the responsibility of caregiving once a need for it arises. They would rather avail of caregiving services than become caregivers themselves.

However, this notion that caregiving is plain boring and exhausting is not entirely true. Yes, caregiving may be tiring. In essence, this job requires time, strength, and even patience from you. However, it is not as exhausting as many people think it is. You always have the choice to rest and take a break when you need to. In fact, it is an unspoken rule for caregivers to know how to take care of themselves while providing care for others. More so, caregiving can also be fun and satisfying. You do not necessarily have to go out to have fun. There are always plenty of activities available in the home for you and your care recipients to enjoy (e.g. card games, jigsaw puzzle, exercise, singing, and more).

Caregiving is a commitment and a vocation

Caregiving is more than just a job. Even though, yes, some people may choose to become a caregiver as a way to pay the bills, caregiving can actually be something deeper than a career or a profession. More often than not, caregiving is a commitment and a vocation. In order to succeed and be an effective caregiver, you need to be 100% committed to what you are doing. You need to see your responsibility beyond the incentives and compensations that it can give you. More so, you need to treat it as a vocation – something that you choose to dedicate yourself to because you ultimately believe that you have been called for it.

Overall, there is a need to combat the misconceptions of caregiving to encourage more and more people to either avail themselves of caregiving services or to become caregivers themselves. Contrary to these misconceptions, caregiving is not a discriminating, tedious, nor shallow job. With training, dedication, and commitment, everyone can become a fulfilled caregiver. If you are an aspiring caregiver, then it is necessary for you to understand the real essence of the job. Do not let the misconceptions discourage you. Instead, equip yourself with enough knowledge and training for a truly remarkable vocation.