Caregiver or Care Partner? What Evolving Terminology Means
Decades ago, when I began my caregiving life, I just did what I did. I’m not sure I was referred to as anything other than the daughter, the niece, or the mom, and I was too busy to care.
However, as my elders became more dependent I began to hear myself, at least in medical settings, referred to as “the caretaker.” Somehow, that word made me grind my teeth. My loved ones were not a patch of land. They were not a house. They were not an object. Yet the term “caretaker” brought such images to mind.
However, as the years went by, I slowly began to notice a change in terminology in the clinic and hospital settings. When I accompanied my loved ones to medical appointments, the dreaded “caretaker” was gradually overtaken by “caregiver.”
Yes! That made sense. While describing what I did, caregiving seemed to help restore dignity to the person for whom I cared.
However, with awareness comes change, and there is a new term we’ll all be seeing more of: “care partner.” Care partner implies that the person who is living with the disease and the person providing care are equal and that is as it should be. There are reasons why I don’t see myself using the term care partner exclusively in the near future, but I do expect that in my future articles you will see the term more often.
Why the term makes a difference
I first came across the term care partner in conjunction with Alzheimer’s disease. This, at first glance, would seem to be the last place where this term fits. People…
Continue reading about the difference between care partner and caregiver and why it might matter:
Discover the Difference. EGOSAN: The premium incontinence brand caregivers love – Now Available on Amazon. Trial packs
Check out Dr. Leslie Kernisan’s free training webinar How to Help Resistant Aging Parents and consider joining this amazingly supportive group! Better Health While Aging presents Helping Our Older Parents:
Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. “For anyone having to walk the last segments of life with a loved one, read this.” …Delores
