Professional caregivers do important work, and they know it. But those caring for kids with special needs, aging parents, or spouses who need assistance also know their work is stressful and sometimes discouraging. The Different Dream crew is always hunting for resources to support their important and stressful job. Today’s guest blogger, Jonah Okun, is here to acquaint you with the online support community, The Caregiver Space.

Support for Caregivers: Bridging the Gap

Caregiving isn’t always that pretty or fun, but it becomes a part of us. It’s an act of commitment, love, loyalty, and nurturance inherent in who we are. But doing it alone, should be out of the question. We need community.

Caregivers Need Community

Our separate dwellings will never be enough to stem the tide of adversity if we expect to come out all right on the other side of caregiving. Caregiver burnout isn’t a myth; it’s an inevitable when we don’t reach out. The community connection we crave though doesn’t always feel close at hand. Community means connection, and more than that, it translates into understanding. It’s trust that someone else will be there offering support and guidance in each new chapter.

Caregivers of those with special needs don’t have it any easier. Responsibilities mount: therapy, doctor visits, treatments…it’s rarely realistic to expect personal time to emote, find recognition, appreciation, or personal support.

What The Caregiver Space Offers

The Caregiver Space is a rare breed of community, dedicated entirely to helping caregivers cope with daily challenges and connecting them with a family of caregivers who understand the daily pressures, thoughts and feelings inherent in their work. Bridging the physical space that divides us, The Caregiver Space operates entirely online, a free and readily accessible website where caregivers congregate 24 hours a day. There, they connect, share stories and locate support resources from the convenience of their own homes.

Caregivers on the website have the opportunity to join a dialogue specific to the type of care they provide. Initiating a personal correspondence through messaging and private chats is a way the network encourages relationships to flourish with another parent who maybe has already seen their child through a tougher stage in their condition. For all the ways caregivers might yearn for connection, there’s comfort knowing members have access to their own personal blog to reflect privately on a writing page entirely their own.

A Haven for Caregivers

With time often limited and energy low, taking care of ourselves rarely feels realistic. The Caregiver Space values our need for self-care and our frenzied lives doling out bite sized bits of self-care strategies. Their short articles and videos span the gamut from fitness and nutrition to proper sleep, mental health and therapeutic writing.

It’s a place to land at the end of the day for 10 minutes: to vent on your blog, ask a question of the parent support community, destress with a few quick exercises or reconnect with another caregiver for some sage wisdom.

There are far too many caregivers privately coping with the burdens of a life spent caregiving. The Caregiver Space is that rare haven where caregivers can gather and locate the support they need.

Visit and join this community of caregivers at www.thecaregiverspace.org

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