You’re going to get out there and help where help is needed anyway. And this world needs all the help it can get! But the question is, who cares for the care-giver?
It can be stressful to try to make a difference in the world. While it is worth it to try to make your corner of the universe somewhat better compared to how you first found it, it shouldn’t hurt in the process. That’s why I liked the idea of “Give a Day. Get a Disney Day.” “Receive free admission* to one of the theme parks of Walt Disney World® Resort or the Disneyland® Resort when you sign up and complete a day of volunteer service with a participating organization.”
The big news is that Disney is trying to give ONE MILLION Disney Days to volunteers all across North America during 2010!
AARP’s The Magazine tells a telling truth: A cascade of studies in recent years has shown that caregivers stand at particular risk for a host of mental and physical illnesses, many of which have roots in stress, exhaustion, and self-neglect—symptoms some medical professionals have begun calling caregiver syndrome. Caregivers appear more likely than noncaregivers to get infectious diseases, plus they are slower to heal from wounds, says Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, Ph.D., director of the Division of Health Psychology at Ohio State University in Columbus. Kiecolt-Glaser has conducted several caregiver research studies with her husband, immunologist Ronald Glaser, Ph.D.
“Many of you, I’m sure, have stories of taking a loved one home from the hospital with no instructions on follow-up care and no one to call when you find yourself in trouble. What does it mean to be responsible for a sick, frail or demented loved one when you have no idea how to take care of them properly and nobody assigned to guide you, when you have no telephone assistance or home visits?” …Asks Jane Gross of The New York Times’ The New Old Age blog.
