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Lessons Caregivers Can Learn
From Private Industry

The same system of using positive affirmations helps when caregivers start to question their core value of why they are doing these tasks day in and day out. Reminding yourself why you are providing care may need to become a part of your caregiving routine. I recommend making a sign that says, “I love my husband/wife/mother/father” and posting it where you need to see it most. Do you need a reminder in the bathroom where you find it exhausting when assisting with toileting or bathing? It may need to be next to your bed so you see it at the end of the day and at the start of the next day. Start each day telling yourself out loud why you are caring. In private industry, those in sales are told to keep a goal picture close by at all times. For someone in sales, this may be a car or vacation home they hope to purchase with their earnings. For a caregiver, this may be a smiling picture of their loved one or a picture of their family during earlier times. Daily reminders that love, kindness and caring are the why will do wonders for keeping that love alive and present in your life.

All these lessons from private industry can be adopted into our daily lives as husbands/wives/mothers/fathers/daughters/sons. Success in business is not analogous to success in family but we can use the same strategies to get there.

Sheryl Leary is a Family Caregiver Specialist with HESSCO Elder Services’ Family Caregiver Support Program. She meets with caregivers individually or in groups to help connect them with the resources and support they need. Sheryl has also spent several years in the direct sales industry attending numerous sales seminars and trainings.

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