By Gary Barg

I have a confession to make. I am addicted to books by business gurus. You know the type, “Swim with sharks without ripping your pajamas;” “Learn to better yourself in every way in 200 pages;” “The greatest business advice you will ever buy is within these pages.”

I know, it’s kind of a guilty pleasure, but I really like the attitude these folks have. Upbeat, positive, and with a slew of guides, top ten lists (I guess I’m guilty of that, as well) and acronyms, like c.o.m.m.i.t. (Conscientiously Obtain Many Material and Important Things), or the ABC’s of Winning (Attention, Brains, and Cash). Well, these aren’t so great, but you get the point.

These business thinkers got me thinking about how much being a family caregiver is like running a small business. You have skills that must be learned. You need to successfully interact with a larger system. You must enroll others in the success of your caregiving and you have an all-encompassing goal; in this case, it is providing the best care possible for your loved one(s). I guess you can call your company “Caring R Us, Incorporated.”

I also think we deserve our acronyms as well. And the first one I came up with should be used as a way for us to think of ourselves as caregivers. C.P.R. No, not Cardio-Pulmonary-Resuscitation (although, we all need to learn the technique) but, Consistent, Persistent, and Resistant.

• Consistent, because as your loved one knows, you need to not only be consistently aware of his or her situation, you must react to the healthcare community with clear thinking. Consistently.
• Persistent, because caregivers are persistent in demanding the best care possible for our loved ones.
• Resistant, not only to any forces opposing the best care for your loved one, but to anything that gets in the way of you taking care of yourself as well.

Now, if only we can only get someone to raise our salaries as family caregivers, we’ll be in business.