November is National Family Caregivers Month. It’s a little known designation that we at Dakota Home Care are publicizing in honor of all our awesome healthcare professionals, as well as those family members and friends who provide help at home so selflessly every day of the year!
Caregiver Action Network (the National Family Caregivers Association – NFC) began promoting national recognition of family caregivers in 1994. President Clinton signed the first National Family Caregivers Month Presidential Proclamation in 1997, and every president since has followed suit by issuing an annual proclamation recognizing and honoring family caregivers each November.
Annual Presidential Proclamation
On October 31, 2020, President Donald J. Trump Proclaimed November 2020 as National Family Caregivers Month. The first paragraph of the Proclamation reads, “Each day in homes throughout our Nation, Americans with chronic or terminal illnesses, functional impairment, or disabilities receive compassionate care and support from family members and loved ones. During National Family Caregivers Month, we salute the more than 40 million people in the United States who serve as unpaid caregivers. With generous hearts and faithful devotion, they honor the sanctity of life and affirm the inherent value of all human beings.”
Celebrating family caregivers during NFC month enables all of us to:
- Raise awareness of family caregiver issues
- Celebrate the efforts of family caregivers
- Educate family caregivers about self-identification
- Increase support for family caregivers
Caregiving in Crisis Tributes
The NFC has designated the theme of this year’s celebration of family caregivers as Caregiving in Crisis, in recognition of the many challenges the COVID-19 virus has added to caregiving. The Alzheimer’s Association has a page on their website where you can join them in honoring the millions of family members and friends serving as caregivers by entering a personal tribute. Many inspiring tributes already have been posted.
A Reminder to Be Prepared
Unless we are professional caregivers, home healthcare stays off the radar for most of us until we have a sudden need for it. Then we rush around trying to find out all we can about the options that are available to us and our loved one. November is a good month to not only remember and honor caregivers, but to become more aware of the services that are available for ourselves and our family members.
At Dakota Home Care, we stand ready to help family caregivers and loved ones with additional help at home 24/7. We provide assurance for families, renewed independence for those needing care and an affordable alternative to nursing home placement. We offer a wide range of medical and non-medical services to help at home with personal care, housekeeping, meal preparation, transportation or just friendly companionship. We also provide private duty nursing care.
The Dakota Home Care Blog is a great source of information, not only about the services we offer, but about all aspects of caregiving needs. We encourage you to read it regularly.
We are very proud of our staff of professional, licensed caregivers and the dedicated service they give their clients. We honor and appreciate them and the family caregivers who help to make our jobs easier and “Keep Home an Option.” If you are a caregiver, Thank You! If you know a caregiver, be sure to thank them for the challenging work they do all year long, not just during the month of November.
Call us with questions or to schedule a free, in-home evaluation: Mandan office, 701.663.5373; Fargo office, 877.691.0015.
Click here to enter a tribute honoring a professional caregiver or a caregiver in your family: https://www.alz.org/events/nadam