Who better to understand the role of a caregiver…ask the patients and the clients. When one is feeling helpless, sick or very fragile, they are like angels sent down by God to heal them, sustain them and bring them to some semblance of order.

Anyone who cares for someone is a caregiver and is rewarded in many ways. The reward could be monetary (for example paid nurses, paid staff) but the wages is only part of the reward. The bond that is formed between the caregiver and the receiver receives much of the reward. A type of bond or reward which cannot be weighed in any form of currency.

Sometimes caregivers spend a short duration of time with their patients. Sometimes they are their caregivers for a much longer period of time. So much so that not only do the patients depend on them but also love them like they do their own children, especially elderly patients.

For the caregiver, spending time with patients with terminal illnesses makes so much of a difference to be able to add some joy and comfort to their patients in the last days of their life.

Many paid caregivers make personal visits of different duration of time for all kinds of nursing or helping aid jobs. Different kinds of people need a caregiver, the elderly, the sick, the injured who need assistance for a long recuperation of health.

Caregivers are not necessarily hired help. Caregivers can be family members or neighbours as well. You might be, or perhaps should be a caregiver to your parents or other relatives in need. The caregiver needs to have a world of patience and tolerance.

A caregiver could also be someone who connects with you in times of need. Females are found to be better caregivers than men because of their maternal instincts, the compassion and level of tolerance as well as being firm when needed.

Who isn’t familiar with Florence Nightingale. Her name is remembered for being a renowned figure in care giving. She helped improve healthcare worldwide by creating awareness of better sanitary conditions. She was an untiring health giver, saved many lives and was a revered hero of her time.

It’s not just us human beings who benefit from caregivers. Sometimes other living beings like animals also need the attention of a caregiver. In the same way, sometimes animals make good caregivers. For example, dogs can be trained especially for this purpose.

The most difficult patients for a caregiver and the most rewarded by the Creator is the care given to people with special needs. For example, Down Syndrome children. These kinds of people understand love more than anything else. They need constant care and to be taught the basic things in life, which they are not capable of learning easily. The role of caregivers is enormous when it comes to taking care of these special children who cannot perform activities that normal children can as they are maturing.