You Gotta Have Heart 🙂 (Photo credit: Lady-bug)
You gotta have heart when you are a caregiver. Whether you are a family member providing care or a professional, it takes a lot to provide consistent, needed care. There are physical and emotional demands. Caregiving can affect your social opportunities.
Caregivers provide care for all ages of people. Some may require short-term care while others need it for the long haul.
Caregivers come in all ages and sizes. School age children sometimes assist with caregiving of parents, grandparents or siblings. Caregivers can be retirees caring for older or younger family members. Caregivers can be working a full-time job then providing care in their “off hours”.
Caregiving can be needed whether it is hot or cold, easy or not, spring or winter, morning or night. It takes heart and gumshen to be a caregiver.
The song “You Gotta Have Heart” from Damn Yankee’s does a pretty good job of describing what it takes. Take a listen.
The song speaks of needing heart, hope, optimism (“not half as bad as it appears”), fortitude (” keep that old horse before the cart”) and laughter. To this list I would add communication, flexibility, and ability to voice your needs/limits.
This Valentines Day take time to check in the caregivers you know. Let them know you care. Ask them how you can help.
That’s such an encouraging song! Goodness knows some days “heart” is all we have to go on.
You are right, Rachelle. Some days we have to know we put our heart into our care and go with that.
Caregiving is so taxing, but it does make your heart grow several sizes. Great idea to acknowledge caregivers on V-Day.
Caregiving is challenging but has rewards, Colleen. How your Valentine’s Day is bright.
Caregivers need so much acknowledgement and support for the care that they choose to offer to others. What a lovely song to offer that recognition.
My pleasure!
This is so so true. Caregivers are the unsung heroes and could use some attention to their hearts. Great song.
I like the energy in the song. I hope many do reach out with the energy and support caregivers need and deserve.
Hey JoAnn – thanks for this post! You know that I am a caregiver, and this post has helped lift my mood! We all need and have to have heart! Thanks for the shout out!
Hugs to you and other caregivers, Kathy.
Home care helps you to stay independent by assisting in those areas you need a little bit of help. A care worker may only come to your home to help you get dressed or to take you shopping.