One of our BEST guest bloggers is back!
BEST team member, instructor/facilitator and caregiver, Maggie DePuye-Phillips, brings us a very special “Caregiver’s Corner” column.  As it is Brain Injury Awareness Month,  DePuye-Phillips brings insight and wisdom to an important part of brain injury awareness: caregivers. Caregivers are the unsung heroes of the awareness movement, and at BEST, we honor caregivers this month and every month.
Read on.
In light of Brain Injury Awareness Month, it is only fitting to briefly share my thoughts on the significant role caregivers have in the lives of individuals with brain injury. One of my favorite scenery icons along the coastlines is the lighthouse and I love what it represents. Lighthouses have been depicted as symbols of strength, dedication, stability,guidance, protection and peace. Others reference them as beacons of light and hope. As caregivers, I’d like to think of that we are those beacons. Equipped with knowledge, compassion and patience, we serve as guides while our loved ones navigate their journeys.
We caregivers are the lighthouse keepers, always determined to maintain that beacon of light to help our loved ones weather any storm. We constantly monitor their high and low tides and steer them to safe harbor to anchor during times of turmoil. We work tirelessly to ensure that our beam of light continues to shine to inspire our loved ones feelings of hope and salvation through rough waters and calm seas.
Although we celebrate during this month the importance of brain injury awareness, let’s be reminded that every day, our loved ones and their journeys are the reason we shine.
Information and Resources
Looking to get away? Need to recharge? Look no further! Caregifted is an organization that grants respite getaways for long-term caregivers. Click here for more information.
Conferences
As a reminder, the Washington State TBI Conference 2015, will be held Monday, April 27 and Tuesday, April 28, at the Marriott Hotel, Seattle Airport. For more information about the conference, click here.
The annual caregiver conference, “Challenges in Caregiving: Giving Care, Taking Care,” sponsored by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, will be held at the Tukwila Community Center, 12424 42nd Ave. S. in Tukwila from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call (360) 725-2544 or visit their website.
Recommended Reading
Here is a link to many books about caregiving, various disabilities and illness.
Last, but not least, here is another quote to enjoy. Until next time, remember to embrace each moment!
When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought to our life, or in the life of another-–Helen Keller