I feel like too thinly rolled-out pizza dough…

You know how it looked when Lucy Ricardo tried to make pizza, or when you tried to imitate your parents doing it as a kid — you’d beat, roll, and run over the dough, tearing it apart and making a mess?  I feel, particularly today, like I’m the dough and everybody and my responsibilities to them have been doing that to me.  And after they each get their corners and ends, what do I get out of...

Fifteen Community Colleges Win Awards for Innovative Caregiving Training Programs

The International Longevity Center, with support from MetLife Foundation, has selected 15 community colleges to receive $20,000 grants for caregiver training programs. The 2009 Community College Training Initiative grants are part of the Caregiving Project for Older Americans, a partnership of the International Longevity Center and the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education. The initiative is focused...

Diasppointed, but not defeated

My husband had his MRI last Wednesday at 11:30 in the morning. Imagine my surprise when I received a call from his oncologist two hours later with the results! I immediately thought the worst when I heard the oncologist’s voice. Why would he be calling so immediately? They always make us wait a week or so before they divulge the results. Before I share the results with you, let me just say that we also went...

We, Hopefully, Help Quiet the Rumbles

You’ve probably heard some rumblings about “death panels” that will be created if President Obama’s proposed health care reform becomes law. Dr. Bill Thomas, a geriatrician and pioneer in improving the quality of life for nursing home residents, created a video which explains the new benefit for end-of-life care discussions under Medicare if health care reform passes. (Editor’s Note:...

A Short Film with a Big Message

The Alzheimer’s Daily News included a link to the video, below, in today’s briefings. It’s a short, foreign film (with sub-titles) that reminds us to love, especially during those moments when we don’t think we can. Please sure to let us know what you think of the video; include your feedback in our comments section. Related articles Early Alzheimer’s Rises for Under-65-Year-Olds...

This Week, Consider the Qualities of the Friends You Want

(Editor’s Note: On Wednesdays, we share a journaling tip as part of our series, Journaling 101. This is tip No. 17.) A friend walks in when the whole world walks out. ~  Walter Winchell In times of need, there’s nothing like a good, supportive friend to help you through the struggles. But, the difficult times are often the times you discover the friends you thought you could count on, aren’t. This...

A Farewell to Eunice

I didn’t know Eunice Shriver. I also don’t know anyone who knew anyone who knew Eunice. So, my knowledge of her is very much remote, mainly from Made-for-TV mini-series I’ve watched about the Kennedy’s. My take-away from those mini-series is that living with the Kennedy men would have been, well, difficult. You would have to have a thick skin, strong backbone and determined spirit to play their brand of...

The New Old Family: Steps and More Steps

Yesterday, the New Old Age blog from The New York Times featured a story about the impact of divorce on family caregivers. In the post, we meet family caregivers who juggle caregiving responsibilities for divorced parents living in different locations, plus stepparents. And, that reminded me of a series we featured several years ago on caring for a step. (It’s interesting to note that these articles contain...

What Will Be Your Caregiving Footprint?

Image by Lyot via Flickr I’ve been doing my best to reduce my carbon footprint. The footprint I want to leave in world is not one that slogs through a landfill. Which makes me wonder: What footprint would you like to leave behind after your caregiving role ends? Your footprint could be the calming words a friend told you during a difficult day. Or, an understanding about how relationships worked that kept...

Ask Denise: How Does She Get Her Dad to the Doctor?

Dear Denise, I came across your website looking for some help for my mother-in-law’s niece, Alice. Alice’s mother, 79, died on May 30, 2009. Now Alice must care for her 85-year-old father. He is very difficult and stubborn and physically hard to handle. He won’t go to the doctor because he says Alice wants the doctor to poison him. He cusses and is verbally abusive too. Her sisters won’t...

for mom’s pastor

Mom’s memorial service is this weekend, and my mom’s pastor who’s known her forever asked me to tell him more about her so he can get a greater sense of who she was with family. Hmmm. Ordinary request, ya? How do I tell him….Do I even bother to tell him—what she was really like? How could I be sincere and honest, yet respectful of both her and me and objective about the big picture of...

This Week: Write About Your Wisdom

(Editor’s Note: On Wednesdays, we share a journaling tip as part of our series, Journaling 101. This is tip No. 16.) The wisdom gained from caregiving is wisdom that can be applied to all aspects of your life. Consider the Wisdom of Caregiving: 1. That your gut is always right. 2. That life is short, so you must make the most of each moment. 3. That possessions and material things take you only so far in life;...

Back to life…

Back to life… Back to reality…I bet you didn’t know who sang those lyrics, but you had heard the song. Yes? It was Soul II Soul. Not that it matters! So–I am sure you have felt those sentiments. After a vacation, back to work on a Monday morning. Usually it’s a bittersweet thing. You may be glad to be back home, to sleep in your own bed and get back to your normal routines, but...

Webinar for Professionals: Concerns about Unsafe Driving: What Do I Say?

Join the American Society on Aging and the National Center on Senior Transportation for a free one-hour web seminar for professionals on August 27, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. When concerned family members turn to you for advice about an older driver, or an older adult in your facility appears inattentive to other cars in the parking lot, how do you handle the conversation? This web seminar will assist you in...

AARP Launches Money-Saving Prescription Drug Resource

Online tool helps people avoid dreaded “doughnut hole” By the end of this summer, more than one million older Americans will have fallen into the “doughnut hole”—a coverage gap in Medicare’s prescription drug program that leaves individuals on the hook for all of their own drug costs while still paying premiums. AARP is launching a new online resource to help older Americans avoid this dreaded coverage...

Hot

Hot This summer, how hot are you? You heat up when you: –do something just for you, even if that only involves five minutes of your time; –enjoy a good laugh with a good friend; –smile at those who love you and honor you. And, you are hot because: –you live a life of integrity; –you treasure your special moments; –you take the good with the bad, knowing one can’t exist...

Happy Birthday, Caregiving.com

Image by Pink Sherbet Photography via Flickr “Never, never, never, never give up.” ~ Winston Churchill Thirteen years ago today, I sat at my computer in the corner of my bedroom, located in my parents’ home. I held my breath and crossed my fingers. Please, please, please, I said to myself. Am I late to the party? Would someone else beat me to the punch? (Cliches offer me comfort during...

Free TeleSummit Just for You

Do one of these descriptions apply to you? 1. The cost of caregiving and other financial worries keep you awake at night. 2. The joy has gone out of your life. 3. You’re confused about dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, Medicare, Medicaid, probate. 4. You have forgotten how to take care of yourself. If so, you’ll DEFINITELY want to register for the *no-charge* telesummit, “Beyond Coping:...