~SanGenWoman Blog~: April Koontz ~ Special Guest

Common Threads by Jan Steinle

"This is a reminder that there are common threads of love woven through our Caregiver journey that connect us, while navigating the emotional journey"

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Introducing Special Guest Blogger ~ April Koontz ~ Founder of Daughters Unite

Entrepreneur, Marketing Consultant, Social Worker & Song Writer

What? I’m a caregiver? Hmm…I thought I was a daughter.

Are you a female who checks on an aging parent or disabled loved one in your life? Do you provide rides to appointments, manage finances and/or keep up with their medications? Do you worry about your loved one’s safety? Welcome to being a daughter and being a Caregiver. It’s amazing the immediate understanding women share when the ‘plight of the daughter’ conversation occurs. The energy the conversation evokes is truly palpable. A stranger becomes an immediate ally. An introvert talks for hours on end. An extrovert is initially speechless and then immediately suggests ‘getting the girls together’. It’s an instant connector that breaks through any and all superficial masks and reaches deep into matters of the heart.

Unfortunately, daughters don’t typically see themselves as ‘Caregivers’ until they’re well into the Caregiver journey and have been told they’re a Caregiver by a medical professional. How and why does this happen? To me, it’s simple. We’re not born with this identity or term in our consciousness. We’re born a daughter (or son). We’re born a niece (or nephew). We’re born a sister (or brother). ‘Caregiver’ is a temporary identity suddenly thrust upon us at some point in our adulthood (that is, unless you’re one of the 1.4 million young caregivers out there under the age of 18). The result? Unimaginable stress. Finding oneself faced with a sick parent or other adult loved one is stressful enough. Not knowing where to turn for help makes it a million times more stressful. There are layers and layers of grief and financial and legal paperwork and a healthcare system so complex that most healthcare professionals can barely navigate it. When the inevitable crisis hits – the fire hose of emotion and incoming medical information sprays us into a state of paralysis; we’re not sure where to go, who to talk to or what step to take next. We don’t know what we don’t know and we don’t know we’re a Caregiver.

Here’s the good news: Since launching Daughters Unite across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, I've had the honor and privilege of connecting with some amazing daughters. For example, Anne Tumlinson, founder of Daughterhood and Liz O'Donnell, founder of Working Daughter are both incredibly talented women working hard on our behalf to bridge the gap between the ‘daughter’ and ‘caregiver’ identity. Other daughters like Denise Brown, founder of www.caregiving.com, Connie Chow, founder of www.dailycaring.com and Elizabeth Miller, founder of www.happyhealthycaregiver.com are working to build safe and supportive online communities for Caregivers to connect. Finally, a host of authors and Caregiving consultants such as our own, Carole Brecht of SanGenWoman, share their experience, strength and hope through the books they've written, the posts, tweets and images they share on a daily basis and their own social media communities they’re building. We’re everywhere. And every one of us has a story. All we need to do now is become visible much earlier in the process to those who haven’t yet identified as a Caregiver.

What are your thoughts on how we can best reach those who haven’t been exposed to the term, Caregiver yet? We’d love to hear your comments here and/or at www.daughtersunite.com. We’re claiming 2017 as The Year of the Daughter and we’re incredibly grateful to the SanGenWoman community for your support! Happy New Year!

To follow and contact me:

Website: www.daughtersunite.com.

Email: april@daughtersunite.com

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Thank you April for being my guest blogger today! I appreciate all that you're doing to bring us together under your Daughters United social media platform. It's been great getting to know you! You continue to inspire me daily.

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Check out my book The Artistry of Caregiving: Letters To Inspire Your Caregiving Journey on Amazon in Paperback & Kindle - A book to read on the go, your daily companion, letting you know your understood and not alone~

A recent review of my book page on Amazon from April:

“Heartfelt, inspiring and amazingly creative. This book is an intimate and poignant work of art that speaks directly to the different attributes of a person who has stepped into the privileged yet painful role of Caregiver. Thanks, Carole for welcoming me into your sacred Caregiving journey. I’m in awe of your artistic genius and the joy she’s bringing to so many others who are facing the often lonely, scary and demanding job of primary Caregiver. Thanks also for the introduction to Zentangle Inspired Art. It’s like meeting a new friend. Well done!”

Thank you April, so glad you enjoyed!

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FREE Kindle app on my book page~
-To get the most accurate preview of the Look Inside feature on my book page - view on a computer.