VALENCIA, Calif. (Sept. 9, 2014)—Shield HealthCare, a provider of medical supplies for care at home, announced its 14th annual story contest on "What Makes Caregiving Rewarding?" Aimed at providing a forum to share the joys of being a caregiver, Shield HealthCare's annual story contest recognizes and rewards caregivers who accept this challenging role. In celebration of National Family Caregivers Month this November, the contest runs September 8-November 30, 2014.

Last year's grand prize winners included parents of special needs children and a nurse with 41 years of caregiving experience. Winners Danny & Kathy M., caregivers for their severely disabled son, wrote: "What makes it rewarding to care for someone who is physically 40 years old, but only 1 year old mentally? When he laughs at a movie on television, or when he smiles when you sing to him or just look at him, then you know that there is a human being there that needs and appreciates you with something that they could not express with words... Scottie has given us the gift of being better people more attuned to not only his needs, but those of others around us."

All contest entries must be one page, emailed to caring@shieldhealthcare.com; submitted via online entry at shieldhealthcare.com/caring; or mailed and postmarked by November 30, 2014. For full contest details and official rules, visit shieldhealthcare.com/caring.