Healthy employees=healthy care: collaborating to create a well community by Brenda Loube, MS, and Kelly McLean, MPA, BS

A frequent quote in the caregiving industry is, “To be a loving caregiver is perhaps the highest form of giving—but you must remember to first give care to yourself.” Caregivers are notorious for putting the health needs of those they care for above their own. Stressed, tired, and coping with a myriad of health issues, they put everything they have into making someone else’s life better, with little regard for their own health. Similar to parents on airplane flights, who are instructed to put on their own oxygen masks in an emergency before placing masks on their children, caregivers at older-adult residential communities must be directed to take care of themselves, so they can effectively help others. All the energy they invest in themselves will benefit everyone around them who needs their time and assistance. Conversely, neglecting their health will lead to the inability to provide adequate care for others.