Caregivers notoriously work long, difficult hours, and often don’t care for themselves as well as they should. Similarly, they often don’t take vacations or take away much time for themselves. If you’d like to show appreciation for the caregiver in your life, here are some ways you can do it:

1. Give them a card or flowers, out of the blue
Just simply acknowledging their efforts, especially when unprompted, can go a long way.

2. Take them to lunch or coffee
Caregiving can be isolating and lonely. Give them a break with some food and social time.

3. Offer to help in ways that you can
Don’t offer to take over their jobs or perform tasks you can’t, but offering to take on some of the tasks like mowing the lawn or offering to sit with the patient so the caregiver can get some “me time” can work wonders.

4. Simply ask how they’re doingAsk about their family, friends, and life. It’s important to make them feel humanized as well.