Women's Life Link Be Well, Be Happy, Be YOU!
Anyone who has a disability can find themselves screaming into the abyss. People with physical, mental, or any type of disability can be up against dismissive attitudes. While there’s much that can be done and should continue to be done, we also need to remember that caregivers for disabled people may feel misaligned, too. Most of us don’t understand what it’s like until we have to do it ourselves. It’s not just about the ignorance, but the isolation, exhaustion, and sometimes downright infuriating attitudes that come. So here’s what carers wish people understood.
Caregivers Need Real Support
The empty promise of “let me know if you need anything” is not enough. Sympathy may not be something caregivers need. Caregivers crave practical, ongoing support in the form of systems, not sentimentality. This is where something like life care planning services comes in. They’re not just for the person with a disability but for the whole family!
Services like this can help carers map out not just the care. Medical needs, therapies, home adaptations, and the real financial impacts need to be attended to as well. This attention helps carers know what to do in a new crisis. As nice as some gestures are, carers need advocacy for proper planning and funding.
Caregivers Are Not a Billboard for the Kindness in the World
Carers need to stop being treated like saints or martyrs. Carers are people; they’re parents, partners, siblings, just doing what needs to be done. The constant expectation that they are different because they appear endlessly patient and selfless is unrealistic, but also dehumanizing. Carers shouldn’t be canonized like a saint. Caregivers have limits and are allowed to be frustrated, tired, and angry without being judged.
Carers Fight in More Ways Than People See
The social care system is often a mess, and we see these things in an article buried at the bottom of a news page. But think about it from a carer’s point of view. Waiting lists, paperwork, underfunded services, and bureaucratic bull mean caregivers can spend hours fighting for the basic support that most of us are entitled to.
Many have struggled to get an appointment for a doctor and been frustrated because they’ve had to do it more than once. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who is doing this at least twice a week, and sometimes twice a day! We often think that the system has been fine-tuned over the years, but carers are the glue holding everything together, and it’s often at the expense of their health and happiness!
We All Deserve Dignity
Disabled people and carers are the experts. Caregivers want to be included in decisions, respected for our knowledge, and treated as equals. If you or someone you know cares for a disabled person, know they deserve dignity and appreciation.
