Rosalynn Carter, the First Lady of the U.S.A. from 1977 to 1981, made a positive impact for all Americans by recognizing everyone serves as a caregiver at some point in their life and then she took action, paving the way for our country to provide resources for caregivers. Mrs. Carter created the “Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers” more than 35 years ago. As we remember her and celebrate her life after her passing on November 19, 2023, we want to recognize her leading the way in supporting caregivers.
Recently in Chicago, I met the wife of a war veteran who proudly showed me a photograph of herself meeting President and Mrs. Carter in Atlanta. She received recognition and training as a caregiver through the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers and this made a significant difference in her ability to carry on as her husband’s caregiver.
Family caregivers often experience the loneliness of caring for another person without anyone around who really understands their journey.
Mrs. Carter was inspired to recognize caregivers not only for their care services, but also for their need for mental health support due to the stress of caregiving.
Caregiver stress continues to be an area we need to recognize. Caregiverlist provides a weekly “caregiver stress relief photo” to make it easier for caregivers to talk about the daily stresses of caregiving and remember to take a moment for self-care.
When Mrs. Carter was just 12-years-old, her father was diagnosed with leukemia. She helped care for him as his health declined. After he passed away, she helped to care for her 3 younger siblings and for her grieving mother.
Her own caregiving experiences gave her the ability to recognize the stresses of caregiving and lead to her famous quote:
“There are only four kinds of people in the world — those that have been caregivers, those that are caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.”
Rosalynn Carter
Follow our Stress-Relief-Photo-of-the-Week to relieve your caregiving stress and consider enjoying the benefits of “puzzling” with a puzzle that highlights our stress relief photos.
You may also take online training to learn more caregiving skills.
