Mother's Day: Remembering caregivers of those who are ill

Throughout the Philadelphia, Montgomery and Delaware County PA area today, caregivers of in-home seniors will probably be forgotten on this Mother’s Day. I hope through this blog to remind everyone that there are many women and men out there who are taking care of an aging loved one everyday and deserve to have a break today. Help to celebrate Mother’s Day 2011 by giving someone you know a break for a couple of hours.




Mother’s and Father’s Day is usually set aside on the calendar to honor the people who have taken care of us as children, nurtured and protected us and guided us through life. The day is meant as a Thank You to the person and is usually celebrated by giving flowers, a present or taking someone out to dinner.



I propose that we take the day one step further and we seek out a person who is providing care to his or her spouse, mother or father on a daily basis and might need a break. Caregivers act like mothers on a daily basis. They protect and guide their ill loved ones through the day and they nurture and often feed and bath adults who are struggling with a physical illness or a memory impairment.

What could we give a caregiver on Mother’s Day? We could give them the gift of time. Staying with a neighbor for an hour or two while the wife visits with her family, making a meal and delivering it so the wife doesn’t have to cook or maybe taking the person out – if the ill person is able to go out for a couple of hours often can give the primary caregiver a break well needed.