Sometimes I forget what 65.7 million looks like. I’ve been combing the web for months looking for caregiver’s stories– blogs, forums, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest. I’ve turned up many but few command a web-presence. For a couple minutes I can delude myself into thinking I’ve seen them all. In college, resources were finite: to my frustration, there were only so many papers on how speaking in one’s mother tongue affects a colonized people’s identity. I became used to finding all of the information I need from a couple of well-worded Google searches. But 65.7 million is practically infinity when you’re reading caregivers’ stories. If I were to read about one caregiver a day, it would take me 180,000 years. Longer, even, because the caregiving population is growing rapidly. And that would only be for caregivers in the United States. Caregivers all over the world should have their story told.
Of course, the problem of connecting to all 65.7 million caregivers depends on how “connected” each caregiver is to the online community. Does he or she regularly blog or update social media sites? Does he or she know someone who does? As I expand our presence in virtual social networks, I am continually surprised by the number of caregivers I find on every platform. If only half of all U.S. caregivers were “plugged in,” that would still be an enormous presence. But where are they?
Heavily sprinkled across every social media platform available. Twitter gives a megaphone to caregiver advocates. Facebook gives caregivers a timeline. Pinterest gives them boards to post their inspirations and aspirations. Recently, I discovered that caregivers are Tumbling too.
The prominent caregivers on Tumblr are young, usually caring for a parent or grandparent. I think the reason young caregivers have found their niche on Tumblr is that only a very young brain could process all of the text, .gifs, photos, videos, and quotes posted on the site! However. I came across many caregivers with clear posts about their guilt, confusion, and anger, using their Tumblr as a Hail-Mary. Many professional caregivers have also found a space on Tumblr to talk about the stress caused by their job. Unfortunately, it’s common to think that professional caregivers don’t need emotional support because their care is paid. But professional caregivers can easily develop strong, familial feelings for their caree– the emotional and physical toll can be great. It’s wonderful to see that professional caregivers have found a space to voice their stories. Adrienne has always stressed that The Caregiver’s Survival Network be foranyone who needs it. This includes paid-caregivers. All caregivers, regardless of context, should have a place to connect, to learn, and to heal.
Introducing The Caregiver’s Survival Network’s Tumblr.
The Caregiver Survival Network Blog 