An Easy Way to Advocate for your Care Recipient
A friend wore a button like the one pictured above daily while caring for her dad. I think it was a Stroke of genius!
In doing so, she sent the following messages:
- Wayne is not just another sick old man. He is my father and important to me. This was a pointed reminder for the many medical professionals she and Wayne encountered. It’s easy for them to see patients as appointments to get through rather than humans striving to live the best quality of life as long as they can.
- It was a reminder to herself to be compassionate during the hardest days of Caregiving.
Now that he is gone, she has this button displayed where she can see it in her car and feels her dad’s presence with her during her travels.
It’s easy to wear a button like this as part of your daily outfit, and a powerful yet subtle way to advocate for your loved one. Why not try it?
Linda Abbit is an eldercare professional and caregiver with more than 25 years of experience caring for her parents and other family members. She is the author of "The Conscious Caregiver: A Mindful Approach to Caring for Your Loved One Without Losing Yourself," (Simon & Schuster, 2017).
Linda worked for over 10 years in the eldercare and health care professions. In 2021, she retired from her position as Community Outreach Manager for Alzheimer’s Family Center, an adult day health care agency designed solely for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and their families.
She currently speaks, leads workshops and assists family caregivers through her book, blog and the Tender Loving Eldercare Facebook page. Her talks are engaging, inspiring and, most importantly, full of real-world practices for new and veteran caregivers to implement in their daily caregiving.
In June 2023, Amy Dickinson recommended Linda's book to family caregivers in her nationally-syndicated column, "Ask Amy."
Linda holds a Master’s degree in Education and was a support group facilitator for the Alzheimer’s Association in Orange County for many years.
Her motto is "Self-care is NOT selfish."
