Care Partners: A Core Component of the Team
“All Americans owe a debt of gratitude to the family caregivers among us—the generous, compassionate individuals who daily face the challenge of caring for loved ones,” said former President Bill Clinton in 2000 when he proclaimed November National Family Caregiver Month. “These everyday heroes, living quietly among us in families and communities across the country, are the major source of long-term care in America. By providing billions of dollars’ worth of caregiving services each year, they dramatically reduce the demands on our Nation’s health care system and make an extraordinary contribution to the quality of life of their loved ones.” Nineteen years later, Americans continue to recognize, honor, and thank care partners during the month of November, and here at PMD Alliance, we work hard to extend that effort beyond November, and take care of care partners all year round.
Since our inception, PMD Alliance has been generating new experiences for care partners. We know that no one with a movement disorder exists in isolation. Whether a spouse, friend, adult child or other meaningful person – living life with a movement disorder requires a team effort. That is why PMD Alliance has developed a comprehensive continuum of services to support not only the person with the movement disorder but their support system around them.
PMD Alliance’s focus on the care partner is on full display at our Renew! Retreat® programs and online educational workshops. Reducing isolation, providing a forum for sharing wisdom, preparing care partners for the journey and helping to create space for resilience are core components of PMD Alliance programs.
An attendee at a recent Renew! Retreat® shared this important advice: “You will enrich your loved one’s life by your own self-care and love. Hold on to yourself and the things that are important to you. Ask for help when you need it. Build a network of knowledge and caring people to support you. Stay optimistic. You deserve it!”
Support a Care Partner!
Although we offer Renew! Retreats® for free, they are not without cost. The cost PMD Alliance absorbs for one care partner to attend a Renew! Retreat® is about $270. Will you help us continue to support care partners? Your gift of $270 ensures one more care partner has a day for themselves—to rejuvenate, refresh, and renew their spirit at a workshop built just for them.
PMD Alliance commits to continuing to care for care partners, creating and refining programs especially for them. We thank you for your generosity to help us continue our work and ride this wave together.
