2009 Caregiving Survey Results

What’s caregiving like for you? Click here to read the results of our 2009 Family Caregiver Survey. (Note: You can click “View” on some of the questions to read the write-in answers. After clicking “View,” use the back arrow on your browser to return to the survey results rather than clicking on “Return to Summary.”) Thanks to all who participated! After you’ve had a...

Book Review: “Reflections For A Caregiver”

Review by Ann Blanchard (Editor’s Note: Ann reviewed “Reflections For A Caregiver” by Jo Kemp. What follows are our questions and her answers.) Caregiving.com: Did the book meet your expectations? Ann: “Reflections For A Caregiver” by Jo Kemp exceeded my expectations! When I first received the book, my heart sank because it is very thick and appeared daunting. I wasn’t sure I had the...

Ask Denise: I Ask, But They Ignore

(We’re continuing to share past columns of Ask Denise; today’s column originally appeared on August 2, 2005. Do you have a question for Denise? Feel free to email her.) Dear Denise, I have been sole family caregiver to my wife since she suffered a stroke six years ago. She is 84 and I am 87. She needs care in personal things i.e., dressing, bathing, diapering, etc. She is dependent on me for...

Medicare Information Now Available on NIHSeniorHealth

Image via Wikipedia An easy-to-read overview, “Medicare Basics for Caregivers,” is now available at NIHSeniorHealth.gov, the Web site for older adults from the National Institutes of Health. This brief, yet comprehensive introduction to Medicare gives caregivers the basics and helps them find answers to their questions. The topic was developed with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services...

Mum Humor..

We need to find moments to laugh…and to share that..with each other.  I have this aunt whom I call my “college aunt,” because when I was going nuts applying for undergrad school many years back, her kids (my cousins) were already on their way and she provided me loads of advice and support — always did, including with other endeavors like job prospects and caring for my mom, her...

This Week, Tell Your Truth

Image by Barnaby via Flickr (Editor’s Note: On Wednesdays, we share a journaling tip as part of our series, Journaling 101. This is our fourth tip.) There are truths to your caregiving situation that you may find difficult to voice. The truth about your fears, your concerns, your heartache. These are important truths for you to tell. This week, tell them to your journal. Write freely about your truth as it...

Seven Lifesavers for Long-Distance Caregivers

Image via Wikipedia By Sheri Samotin (Editor’s Note: On a regular basis, we invite health care professionals and family caregivers to share insights as a guest blogger on Caregiving.com. As we launch our online support group for long-distance family caregivers, we asked Sheri Samotin, a family transition coach, to share her top tips to help long-distance family caregivers. You can listen to Shari and...

National Call-In Day: Support Long-Term Services

With only six week before scheduled Committee votes in the Senate, advocates for older Americans and persons with disabilities are urging that financing for long-term services and supports be included in health reform. Today is a national call-in day to ask your Senator for his or her support. To call your senators toll-free on May 13, dial (800) 958-5374 and follow the voice prompts for your name and state.  You...

Beat

What benefits do you reap from your relationships? You are a caring, nurturing, compassionate person. Because you know how to give, you may find yourself attracting takers. If you find yourself surrounded by takers, then take time to lose them. And, losing them is as simple as dancing away. When they ask you to dance, just dance away. You deserve to have givers in your life–givers as good as you–that...

He said, “Yes.”

I had to babysit for my grandkids who live near us this afternoon. Their mom had to take the youngest one in for a dr. appointment. I asked my husband, if he wanted to go along. I was expecting his usual “no” answer, but surprisingly he said he would go along. I took the wheelchair along. That worked good, as the kids played outside the whole time. My husband seemed to enjoy being outside...

Happy Mums’ Day!

Hey Everybody, you my brothers and sisters in caregiving are all my heroes — and today, meanwhile, I wanted to wish a well-deserved Happy Mothers Day to all of you who are moms yourselves, and/or taking care of moms — because it is Your Day, you deserve to own it, and you merit being recognized on it for all you do and are and have been! I hope that you get to experience something today for the holiday...

Sunset

Image by law_keven via Flickr Do you enjoy the sunset as much as the sunrise? We might favor the sunrise because of the potential and possibility it offers. The sunrise means a start. The sunset, though, offers views into Mother Nature at her best and, with it, closure. What a beautiful day when brilliant reds and orange end it for you. Honor the sunset and sunrise. Beauty lies in beginnings and...

So, what IS possible? then…

What is possible in my relationship with my mom? I like possibilities. I like thinking outside the box. It motivates me. I like to feel like there are options, possibly new things I hadn’t considered. So, I dove right into thinking about this when Denise asked me to. First, I thought about what my mom wanted from our relationship and what I wanted from the relationship. If she had what she wanted it would be…no...

Ahhhh.. It’s About Keeping the Caregiving

Image by Chris Gin via Flickr On today’s edition of Your Caregiving Journey, we spoke to Stephanie Brown, a University of Michigan researcher, whose work resulted in an interesting conclusion: Caregiving can lengthen your life. The premise behind the research was: If volunteer work is good for you, does caregiving offer the same health benefits? I had my doubts going into our discussion (which you can...

Study Says Economy Taking Toll on Family Caregivers

A new study finds that during the past 12 months, almost 20 percent of caregivers report a decline in the quality of care their care recipients receive as a direct result of the recession, and 14 percent say the amount of care they have been able to provide for others during this time period has decreased.  The survey is published by Evercare by UnitedHealthcare and the National Alliance for Caregiving. The survey...

Joys and Burdens Lifted

Today my 86 year old mother-in-law had her first chemo treatment. We were all amazed that she felt up to going to my son’s family’s home for supper and the evening after having chemo today! Most Thursday nights my husband and I, my mother-in-law and my single sister-in-law go to my son’s family’s house for supper, but we didn’t think my mother-in-law would feel up to it tonight....

Turtled Up in Tara-Land

Everyone, I have learned so much in recent weeks, it’s taken me a bit to be able to digest it and be able to write coherently about it. There is literally so much to say, I almost feel speechless, if that makes any sense. I am breaking down this huge monolithic exploration of ideas into short bursts that are easy to read. Here is post #1, that I didn’t finish until just now, but started around April 1st....

This Week, Document Your Dreams

Image by Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton via Flickr (Editor’s Note: On Wednesdays, we share a journaling tip as part of our series, Journaling 101. This is our third tip.) It may seem that your dreams are lost because you would never dream this life. But, what if…. what if this life today is what you need to live your dreams of tomorrow? What if your future dreams build from your today? In your...

Ask Denise: What Happens When She Becomes a Burden?

(Editor’s Note: Once in awhile, we’ll rerun a past column of “Ask Denise.” This column was originally published August 27, 2005.) Dear Denise, I need some help. My mother is 88 and she moved to WA from CT when she was 79. She was supposed to live in her own place but when she got her it was obvious she couldn’t live alone. So we bought a house together and am her primary care giver. I...

Well… They Say It Lengthens Your Life

Researchers from the University of Michigan released results of a study of family caregivers today. Their study focused on finding the answer to the question: Does caregiving shorten or lengthen a family caregiver’s life? Researchers found that caregiving spouses were almost 30 percent less likely to die during the study period than those who spent no time helping. The researchers believe their...

Managing Dementia’s Difficult Behaviors

Last week, on Your Caregiving Journey, we spoke with Janis Deets Nowak, who offered tips on how to manage dementia’s difficult behavior. (You can listen to the show on player included below.) During our discussion, Janis emphasized how important it is to let yourself off the hook. For instance, if your care recipient is stuck in the loop of repetitive questioning, don’t worry about provide complete and...

Tell Us: What Stresses You?

Image by Tidewater Muse via Flickr When you’re in the throes of it, you may not realize its impact. Only when it’s in the rear-view mirror, rather than coming head-on, do you think: Wow, that really stressed me out. Maybe it’s when you worry about juggling a doctor’s appointment for your care recipient the same day you have an important meeting with a potential and lucrative client....