An Oregon Portrait of Care

 

 "When I found my husband Ben at the back door, pistol in one hand, 911 on the phone with another, convinced there were 7 robbers in the house, I knew we were in trouble" wrote Kathy, an Oregon caregiver. She found out her husband had Lewy Body Dementia, and was an unwavering family caregiver for him until he passed away.

"I found getting respite care was one of the best things," Kathy said. From taking her husband "to an adult daycare or getting a caregiver in the home provided me invaluable time to myself to relax with friends and unwind. Too many caregivers forget to care for themselves first. The stresses and sleepless nights can really take a toll, as can the physical strains of helping your loved one walk and make transfers." Click here to read more about Kathy's caregiving experience.

About 469,000 caregivers in Oregon perform a labor of love every day caring for older parents, spouses, and other loved ones. Each year, they spend hours 437 million hours helping with bathing and dressing, meals, chores, transportation and more – like complex medical tasks including wound care, giving injections, and complicated medication management. This unpaid care is valued at about $5,700,000 a year in our state alone. But we know this care is invaluable.

AARP believes family caregiver stories aren’t celebrated nearly enough.

 As we fight for commonsense solutions to support family caregivers – like help at home, workplace flexibility, training and more – we think it’s time the world got a better picture of just what it means to be you.

To honor and recognize family caregivers all around the country, AARP will randomly select one caregiver from each of the 53 U.S. states and territories to receive a Portrait of Care, an artist’s painting of you and your loved one.

Share your story and photo with us at aarp.org/iheartcaregivers

  Watch to learn more about Portraits of Care:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpEiZC4McbE&list=PLErIJrtiGWSzApcdW0WyMv2oJu2G3JrVB&index=340[/youtube]

If you are a family caregiver, you’re not alone.

• Find the tools and support you need, as well as ways to connect with other caregivers at aarp.org/caregiving.

• See the stories behind Portraits of Care, and share your own story and photo with us at aarp.org/iheartcaregivers.