hb42286

I'm honestly not even sure this is an appropriate question to ask but I'm going to do it anyway. How do you feel about caregivers? My own story is (still) waiting moderation before it'll be posted on r/disability, but I'm a caregiver who is on 24 hour call for my disabled from birth younger brother.

I feel like, people who end up dedicating significant parts of their lives to take care of a disabled loved one are often treated like ghosts by society. In my own case, I'm largely isolated outside of my immediate family so of course nobody knows that I exist but when I look around online and read stories from other caregivers I feel as though many of them would share my sentiments.

When we share our stories, we get hit with stock responses such as omg you're a good brother/sister/son/daughter/husband/wife/whatever else but, that's about it. After that, we get memory holed.

I think that there's a lack of emotional/psychological support networks for people who have a caregiver role. It's one thing if you're a nurse or what have you, being paid to take care of someone you barely know but it's quite another when you're someone with no formal training who has been in a caregiving role for a family member for the majority of your lifetime like me and who will be in that role for their entire lives.

No caregiver does what they do for recognition or props or whatever. If like me, you're doing it because you love the person that you're taking care of. Still, it's a challenge both for the person being cared for and the person giving care.

Apologies if I'm doing this wrong. I'm 34, and I've never used Reddit until literally yesterday so I'm learning as I go. So yes, to close: How do you feel about caregivers? Is society doing enough for them?

It's a shame that broader society views caregivers in such a small minded, disposable way. Up until this point in my life, I haven't looked into any sort of support groups or advocacy because, I've always just shouldered my role on my own. I'll have to look into the links you gave me. I appreciate the thoughtful response.