Maria Schriver was on the Today show a short while ago. The four on-air personalities were chatting about the fact none of the current Presidential candidates have brought up the issue of caregivers. Caregiving is an important issue.

The statistics on caregiving are tough to read, and it’s only going to get tougher. In my massage practice, the types of calls I get used to ranged from overworked muscles, to athletes overtraining and injuring themselves. These days the calls are more often from spouses worried about their mates’ upcoming surgery, or people booking me to help them get back on their feet after a hip replacement.

Currently, there are almost 20 million people caring for an elder loved one. Whether it’s a parent, an aunt or uncle, a child, spouse or a friend.  The predictions are that number will be up significantly in the next 10 years as all of us baby boomers hit our late 70’s and 80’s.

Often times it is women who take on the caregiving, and usually, the families don’t pull together to back each other up. That has got to change. I am fortunate that in my family we all play a part in caring for my 91 year old mother, but that is not the case in many families.

Today, with the Corona virus, the caregiving duties have increased tenfold. Not only are people caring for aged relatives, but in many cases they are also trying to work from home and educate their children at the same time. The stress on these individuals is tremendous. Not to mention, for some, the financial stress that comes with not being able to collect a paycheck if they are in one of the services industries.

If you are one of these people, please, reach out, ask for help, help others in your situation. Don’t try to keep everything running without some support or assistance.

Valentina Boonstra