Girl Scout Samaya Syali takes on caregiver burnout
Samaya Syali recently raised awareness for caregiver burnout as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award. Credit: Girls Scouts of Suffolk County
Samaya Syali wants to ensure that local caregivers are taking care of themselves too.
The Melville teen recently raised awareness for caregiver burnout by providing resources to more than 100 people who are supporting family members and others contending with illness, injury or disability as part of a project called “Care for Caregivers.” She connected with caregivers who transported loved ones to appointments at the Babylon and Patchogue offices of New York Cancer & Blood Specialists.
Syali, 18, was inspired to inform caregivers after witnessing firsthand the emotional and physical toll that comes with the role. An aunt, Bharti Bharwani, of New Jersey, has cared for Syali's 65-year-old uncle, Jitu, amid his battle with Parkinson’s disease for over 20 years, while her grandmother, Reeta Syali, lived with her and her parents for several years during a past battle with breast cancer.
“A lot of the times in order to better help someone you have to take care of yourself,” said Syali, who pursued the project as part of her Gold Award, which is the highest achievement attainable within the Girl Scouts of the USA. The project earned her a $5,000 Gold Award Scholarship in June.
Syali, who is a member of Troop 1062, began her educational efforts by researching “caregiver syndrome,” a condition she described as the fatigue faced by those caring for loved ones with chronic illnesses. She then created a brochure and website with everything from mental health tools to a hub featuring a “curated collection of tools, rights and resources for caregivers,” she said.
The mental health tools include ideas such journaling and meditation, while the hub includes links to laws and programs, among them the Family and Medical Leave Act, which offers up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave to care for a relative.
“I definitely talked to more people than I originally planned,” said Syali, who recently started her freshman year at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. “For the most part, they were very receptive and appreciative.”
Syali’s project culminated with an event in which 30 caregivers gathered to connect with each other and social workers at the New York Cancer & Blood Specialists’ Patchogue office. They also received baskets filled with items including restaurant and spa gift cards donated by local businesses.
MaryAnn Fragola, a doctor of nursing practice and chief of wellness and support services for the cancer treatment center, praised Syali for her "compassion, initiative and commitment" to caregivers.
“Samaya saw a need that is often overlooked — the needs of the caregiver," Fragola said. "What impressed me most about Samaya was that she didn’t simply recognize the problem; she took action. ... She understood that supporting the caregiver is also an important part of supporting the patient."
Nominate a Long Island who goes above and beyond or serves as an inspiration to their community. Send details and photograph to Michael Ebert, michael.ebert@newsday.com (photos should be high-resolution). Photos maybe used in other publications affiliated with Newsday.
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
