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ARE YOU A CAREGIVER?

A park bench overlooks the water at Gallagher Park in Framingham/Photo By Douglas Flynn

Many don’t identify with the term “caregiver,” assuming that only applies to professional home and health aides and nurses, or that the caregiving duties they already do are merely part of being a dutiful son, daughter, husband, wife or friend. 

But while you might not realize it, you may actually already be a caregiver.

Do You:

  • Help a loved one get dressed?
  • Take a loved one to doctors’ appointments?
  • Help a loved one manage their medications?
  • Spend time researching information about a loved one’s health condition?
  • Help a loved one balance their checkbook, pay their bills or offer any other assistance with their finances?
  • Take time off work to help a loved one?
  • Call to check in on how a loved one is doing?
  • Change plans to be around to help a loved one?
  • Stay up at night worried about a loved one?
  • Shop for groceries or prepare meals for a loved one?
  • Neglect your own needs or give up activities you enjoy to spend time helping a loved one?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are indeed a caregiver. And if most or all of these tasks are familiar to you, you are a caregiver who may need some support.

We are here to help.

This Caregiving MetroWest website hosts a wealth of information and resources to help you and the person you’re caring for navigate your caregiving journey, so feel free to poke around the many sections we keep updated throughout the site. To quickly find what you need, you can use our Caregiver Concierge to help guide you to the information and resources that will be most helpful for your particular situation. You can also try our clickable map to find resources in your town if you live in any of the 25 MetroWest communities we cover, check out any of the categories in our resources by type section, and look through any of the sections in our InfoCenter.

A Caregiver Specialist from the Family Caregiver Support Program can also assist you with information, resources and support, consulting with you in person or by phone or email. Caregivers in MetroWest can email Donna Murry, our Caregiver Specialist, at dmurray@baypath.org. For additional assistance please call 508-508-573-7200.

For Family Caregiver Support Programs serving MetroWest, please see our Caregiver Support Programs listings or a list of Caregiver Support Groups.

“There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.“
– Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter