How to Support a Caregiver This Holiday Season
Take shopping off their plate. Holiday shopping becomes exponentially harder when you’re caring for someone who can’t be left alone. Offer to do the caregiver’s grocery shopping, pick up gifts, or handle those last-minute errands. Better yet, ask for their list and just do it without making them feel like they’re imposing. You could also offer to stay with their loved one while they shop themselves—sometimes getting out of the house alone is the real gift.
Help out with laundry. If you were there in person, it would be easy to offer to help a caregiver by folding and putting away a couple loads of laundry. Luckily, we live in a time where help with laundry is just a click away. There are many companies throughout the country that will pick up your dirty laundry and return it to your door, folded and ready to be put away. That kind of assistance would be welcome for a caregiver. It’s not glamorous, but it’s one less thing consuming their already limited time and energy.
Arrange meal delivery. Bring fully prepared meals that can be heated and eaten immediately, or better yet, individual portions they can freeze and use when they’re too exhausted to cook. Bonus points if you include paper plates so there’s no cleanup. Or schedule a meal delivery service for them—there are several that cater to dietary restrictions if needed.
The gift of relaxation. A massage gift certificate is nice, but here’s the thing: Caregivers often can’t use them because they can’t leave. Make it actually work by offering to sit with their loved one during the appointment. Or bring relaxation to them—arrange for a mobile massage therapist to come to their home. Another option is to put together a relaxation basket with face masks, bath products, and a promise that you’ll cover caregiving duties while they use it.
Hire in-home care. In-home caregivers can help with light housekeeping, provide companionship, or assist with meal preparation. Many are available on a temporary basis. But finding, vetting, and hiring a new caregiver can feel like another job in itself. Offer to do this part of the process for them, so they can enjoy the help without any extra effort on their part. Not everyone will be comfortable with having a new person inside their home, though. Be sure to check with the caregiver to get permission first and keep them updated on the process.
Follow through. Most importantly, follow through with whatever you offer to do. Caregivers are often promised help that never materializes, which can feel worse than not being offered help at all. Be specific with your offer of help, and show up when you say you will. Be reliable. Be consistent. That dependability is worth more than any gift you could buy.
This holiday season, give the caregiver in your life what they truly need: practical support, genuine rest, and the knowledge that they’re not doing this alone.