ABSTRACT
Regardless of how much energy or emotional commitment we invest in a relationship, it cannot last forever. Because one cares, because one invests a certain portion of one’s self into the cycles of others, one learns what it is to hurt and to grieve when those cycles are complete in one way or another. The people caregivers help every day are dealing with lots of hellos and good-byes. Caregivers are also coping with their own hellos and good-byes. Truly effective caregivers understand their task is not to eliminate the pain, but to give the client/family skills and tools to deal with the pain themselves. The issue of being a care giver or a care taker is as old as giving and taking care of others. Caring for someone who is hurting, regardless of the source of his/her pain, is a difficult yet wonderful task. There are few helping situations that are more rewarding or more demanding of a caregiver’s skills.
