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I I never knew it would be so hard to show people how much they are appreciated for the work we do as caregivers. I am a caregiver. I care for my mom 24/7. It's hard work and stressful you really get burnout, so I wanted to have a banquet to show caregivers I call it in-home caregivers banquet the ones that are actually with their parents or their love one's how much they are appreciated I put ads everywhere and no one really responds. I never knew it would be so hard to show people how much they are appreciated. Can anyone offer me some advice my banquet is scheduled for March.

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How thoughtful of you to host a special banquet. So often caregivers are forgotten. Even in conversations, people ask about loved ones and seldom ask how the caregiver is holding up. You could let your local Council on Aging organization know about your event or other agencies with caregivers.

You are correct it is a tough job!

I wish you success in hosting this gathering of caregivers. May I ask what inspired you to do this?

I think it will be well received for those who are able to attend. I think some pampering is in order. Maybe some thoughtful party favors such as nice toiletries or delicious chocolate candy. They don’t have to be anything terribly expensive.

Maybe an sign up sheet for those who would like to put an email address or phone numbers to stay in touch with one another.

For those who can get away, even just once a month, you could meet for lunch, coffee and desert or share a common hobby.

Serve food that they don’t normally get to eat because their loved ones are on bland, restrictive diets. At least serve some fun appetizers and desserts!

Have wine or a signature cocktail if you really want to go all out! Mock cocktail for those who don’t drink.

I am sure others will have plenty of great ideas.

Thank you for hosting a lovely event! I know you will be blessed for being such a sweetheart.

It is a great idea. I volunteered at my children’s schools every week and there was a volunteer luncheon hosted by the school for us. It’s always nice to be shown appreciation for our efforts.
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pippy32653 Jan 2020
Hey thanks so much for the advice everything you mention is what i have planned already and to to answer your question it was my mom that inspired me to do this because there was times when she was so sick or would not sleep at night that i wished I had someone that I could call and talk to in the wee hours of the morning that knew exactly what I was feeling and going through even though family members was there I wished I had someone that I could talk to and they knew what to tell me and another plan of mine just like you said I want to get everybody's numbers that are there so maybe we can exchange the numbers and whenever they need someone to talk to we can pull up that number and maybe that person know exactly what that person is going through and they can talk to each other. Thank you for your encouraging words I will post how everything turned out but it still doesn't look like I'm getting a lot of response from people though but I'm going to keep trying I'm not going to give up I have till March
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Hi Pippy. What a thoughtful idea. Maybe some caregivers can’t get away to attend because of their caregiving responsibilities. Have you found a local support group? Maybe this would get the word directly to a target audience. You could meet other caregivers and discuss your idea, If I lived closer I would attend. Let us know how this progresses. Maybe a few for this first event would be enough and then word might spread and it could become an annual event. It might even develop into a group of local caregivers lending support to each other as needed. I wish I had that support. Best of luck and again, extremely thoughtful.
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pippy32653 Jan 2020
Thanks so much for your advice. I will let you,ll know how it turns out
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Pippy, I want to thank you in advance for your banquet! It is a beautiful idea, and speaks to what a kind heart you have.

I know that sometimes with brand-new events, even the most deserving, it can be difficult to get it started and find the people who would be interested in it. So please don't let any lack of response so far make you feel as if it isn't a good idea. You just have to find your caregivers, and since they are usually quite busy as you well know, that's a problem in itself. So even if it doesn't come together for this March, even if it takes longer than you intended to make your idea a reality, please feel proud of the effort you are making right now to appreciate caregivers.

One thought, does your city or county have a Senior Center that might be a good fit to find the caregivers you want to treat? Or maybe a church or volunteer organization that you could partner with? Just brainstorming here! :)
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pippy32653 Jan 2020
Hello Snoopylove thanks so much for your encouragement you just don't know how many times I have wanted to give up because of not getting any responses back from all my posts I have put out there so maybe not this March but next year's will be bigger like the Bible state do not despise small beginning for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin I have started the work 😃 i may only get two but I will be thankful for them. again thanks so much for your words of encouragement I really appreciate them
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Such a nice idea Pippy!
Placing an event under the auspices of your local Senior Center or Area Agency on Aging (where they hold caregiver support groups) could bring
attention to your event.
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pippy32653 Jan 2020
Thanks so much I will try that going tomorrow to put up some more post's and drop off some flyer
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When you say you are hosting what does that mean? What is the location? Is there a charge for attending? Have you talked to the Alzheimer's Association for suggestions? They may have a grant available to help with the cost. Do you want to restrict the caregivers to those that care for dementia?
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I would have appreciated a caregiver coffee hour just as much as a banquet, I knew there were other people like me out there but they all seemed to be in hiding. I think Sweetstuff hit the nail on the head when it comes to things like this, people who are in the trenches don't have the free time for it, or the free time they do get is not convenient. And then unfortunately caregiving for ends, and at that point most people move on with their lives.
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NeedHelpWithMom Jan 2020
Coffee hour actually sounds really nice.
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