Caring Today magazine’s third annual “Give a Caregiver a Break” contest launched May 1. Home Instead Senior Care co-sponsors the contest and will award $16,000 in free caregiving services to the winning essay writers. More info from the press release follows:
Caring Today Magazine and Home Instead Senior Care Announce Third Annual Caregiver Essay Contest
The Home Instead Senior Care office serving Birmingham, Michigan has announced Caring Today magazine’s third annual “Give a Caregiver a Break” essay contest to honor family caregivers for their tireless service and dedication. The contest is sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care and will award $16,000 in free caregiving services to the winning essay writers.
In 500 words or less, non-professional family caregivers can relate their caregiving experiences, including the challenges they’ve faced, how they’ve embraced their role as a caregiver for a senior loved one and inspired others, all demonstrating how a Home Instead CAREGiverSM could make a difference. Entries can be submitted starting May 1, 2008. Entry deadline is July 16, 2008.
Grand Prize is $5,000 of free care from Home Instead Senior Care, the world’s largest provider of non-medical companionship and home care for seniors. Two First Prize winners will each receive $2,500 of free care from Home Instead Senior Care. In addition, 12 Extraordinary Caregivers will each receive $500 in service as part of a new category established this year. The top three winning essays will be published in the November/December issue of Caring Today and all 15 winning essays will appear on www.caringtoday.com.
Last year’s Grand Prize winner was Teresa Hooper, a devoted daughter and sister from Sylva, N.C., who put her career on hold and gave up most of her free time to help care for her 83-year-old mother, Sara. Hooper said she was just venting her feelings when she wrote about her caregiving role, which she shares with two sisters.
“We have learned that we are all vulnerable, and that old age and sickness is not an easy issue to be dealt with under any circumstances,” says Hooper. “We have learned to admire and respect our mother for all that she gave us in her ‘good’ years and for trying to be so strong for us in her fragile years. We are still learning – one day at a time.”
According to her Grand Prize essay, Hooper and her sisters have been caring full time for their mother, who has multiple health problems, is on oxygen and needs round-the-clock care. Hooper’s family is trying to meet all their mother’s needs on a rotating basis, so Sara can stay at home. The demands are both physically and emotionally daunting, Hooper said.
“The hardest impact of this situation is seeing our mother in this condition, unable to see, hear, bathe, eat or even walk without assistance,” Hooper wrote in her essay. “We see her often confused, forgetful and frightened. We have cried and felt guilty and helpless. We’ve prayed and talked. Despite the challenges, the rewards of caregiving have been worthwhile,” Hooper added. “It’s been rewarding to see her return to her home after being on the verge of death. We’re giving her back some quality in her last days.”
To enter the “Give a Caregiver a Break” essay contest, you must be 18 years old or over, be providing non-professional care for a person 65 years of age or older, and be a legal resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia. Only one entry per person is allowed. Entrants must be located in a Home Instead Senior Care franchise service territory to receive free services. (Franchise service areas are available by logging on to www.homeinstead.com.) Entrant must be a non-paid caregiver of a person 65 years of age or older and not a third party. Typed entries may be submitted online at www.caringtoday.com/hicontest or by mail to Caring Today, 34 Sherman Court, Fairfield, CT 06824. Complete rules can be found in the May/June issue of Caring Today or online at www.caringtoday.com or www.homeinstead.com.
Caring Today is the premier national magazine offering practical advice for the family caregiver. It provides expert, up-to-date information on medical, social, financial, legal, lifestyle and support issues – and, in each issue, reinforces the importance of caregiver well-being and self-care. With a circulation of 750,000, Caring Today is published six times a year and distributed primarily through doctor’s offices, hospitals, CVS/pharmacies and professional home-care services. The magazine’s offices are located at 34 Sherman Court, Fairfield, CT 06824, and it’s newly designed, interactive website is at www.caringtoday.com.
Home Instead Senior Care is the world’s largest provider of comprehensive companionship and home care services for seniors. These services are provided through a network of franchise offices located throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, Portugal, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Taiwan, Spain, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Germany. The company’s services are designed for practically any living arrangement where an older adult simply needs human interaction and help with day-to-day activities. For more information, visit www.homeinstead.com.
