Is your care a one way street? ➡
The label of 'caregiver' irks a lot of people for a lot of reasons. One of those reasons is that it labels one person the caregiver and one the care recipient. It implies (and creates) a power dynamic.
It suggests that the care is one-directional. It sounds like the care recipient takes, takes, takes and the caregiver should be self-sufficient. Which...ugh, that doesn't sound great.
One of the things I love about creating a Care Map is that it helps people see the ways their care recipient is actually taking care of them and the community support they do have.
So, how does the person you're caring for care for you? Today I was scrolling through Instagram and came across this fantastic answer: 'You keep me safe, I'll keep you wild.'
If you're on Instagram, I'd love to see how you're taking care of each other. If you tag #facesofcare we can all find each other.
PS. I've been fangirling over danah boyd, the OG social media researcher, for 16 years now, so I feel pretty confident in telling you that while following brands (and people that think they're brands) on social media can make you feel shitty about your lame normal person life, following real people (who share moments and trivial details of their real lives) is an incredible way to find connection. So go ahead and get real, forget about flattering angles and cropping out the clutter.