Caring for the Caregivers.
Last Sunday, I watched the new PBS documentary, “Caregiving.”
It was gut-wrenching, heart-warming, and eye-opening.
Besides interviews with Ai-Jen Poo, executive director of Caregiving Across Generations, Paul Irving, senior advisor to the Milken Institute, and a host of others, it features the stories of several professional and family caregivers from across the United States.
Their stories candidly reveal just how physically demanding, emotionally isolating, and mentally exhausting caregiving can be.
It also addresses the various historical issues—political, economic, and social—related to care/caring/caregiving in America. While we have made considerable strides in some areas, we have most definitely fallen short in others—the ramifications of which have affected generations and generations of our fellow citizens.
So many missed opportunities.
TOO. MANY.
Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter once said, “There are four types of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.”
For most of this week and next, I am stepping into the role of caregiver—not just for a loved one going through chemotherapy, but also for those who’ve been caring for her over the past several weeks.
As I’ve said before, I see it not as an obligation, but as a privilege—and I feel honored to have the opportunity to help out in this relatively small way.
Though I do not pretend to know what it feels like to serve as a full-time caregiver, I must say the “Caregiving” documentary gave me a pretty good sense of the challenges caregivers face—and what we, as their fellow citizens must do to support them.
Higher wages. Earned benefits. Paid time off. Respite care. Better training and resources. More recognition and support.
MUCH MORE.
I encourage each of you to carve out the two hours it takes to watch this incredible documentary, currently streaming via PBS.
I promise it will be among the best two hours you’ll ever spend.