Caring for Military Families, Part Two

Rosalyn Carter once said, "There are only four kinds 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."

Caregivers need to allow themselves to take a break, or to accept help from others. Caregivers can get so absorbed in the person they are helping, they can lose their sense of self.

The days of summer are here, and the days are getting longer. Is there a caregiver you can offer to step in for and allow the person to enjoy a afternoon outside or an evening stroll?

Here are a few other tips we might try to help caregivers...

Listen. That's it. Spend time and listen to them.

Don't exclude the caregiver because they often decline your invitation.

Offer to run errands for the caregiver. Shop for groceries, take the pet to the vet, wash their car, or if they have children offer to take them to sports events or music lessons. Or just take their kids for a fun experience.

I'd love to hear other suggestions on how we can help military caregivers. Thanks for sharing!