Young Caregiver Network and Young Male Caregiver Network

Welcome to the Young Caregiver Network (YCN) and Young Male Caregiver Network (YMCN). There are several caregiver support groups which are great. Why one more support network?  As per a recent survey, there are 65.7 million family caregivers in the USA and 34% of all caregivers are men and the average age is close to 50 and less than 4% are young to middle-aged caregivers. We want to focus on the needs of the young caregiver and the young, male caregiver who are a minority within a minority. While the other caregiver groups are great resources, they may not address the issues around being a young caregiver or a young, male caregiver. That’s what we want to focus on. You can sign the Caregiver Rights Petition on the right and help support us. As a young caregiver, please review the Caregiver Healing Plan to continue to live as an empowered caregiver.

What are some unique issues for Young Caregiver Network (YCN)? Please preface every question with “as a YC (young caregiver),…”

  • Most caregiver support group resources will recommend taking care of the caregiver and sharing with someone. As a young person, are you comfortable talking to someone in your peer group who will relate to your situation or are they hard to find.
  • When/If you go to a caregiver support group, do you feel out of place due to age or gender if you are a male?
  • Do you find yourself changing careers or giving up promotions because you have to spend more time caregiving?
  • Do you feel “brickwalled” by the medical professionals and the patient ecosystem in order to get information?

In addition to the above unique issues for a young caregiver, if you are a male, you are part of a even more smaller group which is Young Male Caregiver Network (YMCN). This group has some additional unique issues like:

  • You have already proved your sensitivity, a defiance to the false stereotype against men. Do you find yourself fighting against this bias and stereotype rather than your caregiving issues?
  • As a young, male caregiver is the social persona different than who you really are?
  • Do you spend more time caregiving rather than trying to make people understand the truth and break the “stereotype”?

There are several other issues that caregivers, in general encounter. We want to start a discussion and become a premier support channel for YCN and YMCN. First, we ask you to take a self-assessment caregiver test. Second, we ask you to join us on twitter or Facebook or our own community discussions and let us help each other by sharing and caring. You can sign the Caregiver Rights Petition on the right and help support us. Check out a very good site for young caregivers.