It's National Family Caregivers Month!

Top 10 Ways to Celebrate National Family Caregivers Month 2009

There are many ways to celebrate family caregivers and to take action and communicate the important messages of NFC Month. The following are ideas and guides to help you create a successful National Family Caregivers Month in your community:

* Offer a few hours of respite time to a family caregiver so they spend time with friends, or simply relax.

* Send a card of appreciation or a bouquet of flowers to brighten up a family caregiver’s day.

* Encourage local businesses to offer a free service for family caregivers through the month of November.

* Participate in the National Family Caregivers Association’s FREE national teleclass: Safe & Sound: How to Prevent Medication Mishaps The free one hour teleclass/webinar will be November 12 at 2 p.m. ET. For more information visit: National Family Caregivers Association.

* Help a family caregiver decorate their home for the holidays or offer to address envelopes for their holiday cards.

* Offer comic relief! Purchase tickets to a local comedy club, give a family caregiver your favorite funny movie to view, or provide them an amusing audio book to listen to while doing their caregiving activities.

* Find 12 different family photos and have a copy center create a monthly calendar that the family caregiver can use to keep track of appointments and events.

* Offer to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for a caregiving family in your community, so they can just relax and enjoy the holiday.

* A United States postage stamp honoring the more than 50 million family caregivers in America is officially “under consideration” by the U.S. Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee for introduction as early as 2011. Sign the petition at National Family Caregivers Association and ask others to sign the petition letter.

* Help a family caregiver find information and resources on the internet or to locate a local support group.

I know many of us are caregivers and the stress is sometimes monumental. For me the internet and blogging are a welcome respite from this labor of love.