This Week’s Deal: Two Books, One Price

(Editor’s Note: Last week, we launched a new service, Deal of the Week. Each Sunday, we’ll announce a company offering a special deal on its product or service for you. Each deal ends on Saturday.) This week’s deal: Two Autographed Books (Take Comfort and The Caregiving Years), One Price ($32.97) This week, buy Take Comfort, Reflects of Hope for Caregivers and The Caregiving Years, Six Stages for a Meaningful...

Deal of the Week Ends Today: FineThanx Automated Check-In Service

(Editor’s Note: This week, we launch a new service, Deal of the Week. Each Sunday, we’ll announce a company offering a special deal on its product or service for you.) This week’s deal: For the first 100 respondents: Three free months of service from FineThanx FineThanx is the perfect caregiving companion for working and long-distance family caregivers. FineThanx, an automated check-in service,...

Friday Fun: Give Us the Guffaws

It’s Friday, so let’s share some funnies. What’s a humorous experience that’s happened to you in your caregiving role? It could be something that happened years ago or just yesterday, as long as today it makes you giggle. We’ll giggle with you. Please share in our comments section. And, we’ll give away a $25 Visa gift card to someone who shares a funny. (Reminder: What’s bugging you? At 3:00 p.m....

What’s in Donna’s Closet?

We’ve received our first entry for our What’s in Your Caregiving Closet? contest. Donna W., one of bloggers, sent the two photos, below, of a Caregiving Étagère, the hub of her mom’s room for her supplies and care. She also sent a photo of the communication board she created for the respite caregivers to use while she was away on a trip in December. So… what’s in your caregiving...

This Week’s Poll: Which Wellness Program Could Work for you?

This week, we learned the results of a study that took a closer look at the impact on the health of family caregivers who also hold down jobs. Well, the impact isn’t good! The report also offers suggestions on how employers can connect working family caregivers with wellness programs. We took those suggestions for wellness polls and created this week’s poll. So, working family caregivers: Which...

The Tower of “Babble”

Where has she gone, Is it far is it near? What has she heard? Voices loud voices clear. Makeup and ice, Water and cake, That girl over there, Oh that’s a mistake! Words after words, Some struggle, some true. A lifetime of memories, Now are her enemies. Unassembled, Disarrayed, Not forming properly, Makes her dismayed. Who am I? Even in the fog she knows. This can not break, The love that she shows. In...

The Long Goodbye

goodbye to sewing goodbye to tole painting goodbye to quilting goodbye to doing laundry goodbye to driving goodbye to managing money goodbye to taking trips goodbye to shopping goodbye to baking goodbye to cleaning house goodbye to doing dishes goodbye to sending cards goodbye to talking on the phone goodbye to cooking goodbye to reading and word search puzzles goodbye to walking alone goodbye to getting in the...

My Normal as a Caregiver is Not the Normal of Others

(Editor’s Note: Today, we welcome our newest blogger, Donna W., who cares for her mom.) To escape, to have respite, take a vacation, however you would define the luxury of getting away, it has a much different definition and result for a caregiver. I have been able to get away at least once a year since I started caring for mom. That isn’t very much, but it has become what is  normal for me. For my...

New Study Says Caregiving Employees’ Health Problems Can Cost U.S. Companies a Potential $13.4 Billion Yearly

If you are responsible for taking care of an elderly relative or friend, it will likely impact your health and your employer’s bottom line. Employees in the U.S. who are caring for an older relative are more likely to report health problems like depression, diabetes, hypertension or heart disease, costing employers an estimated average additional health care cost of 8% per year, or $13.4 billion annually,...

Ask Denise: How Do I Walk Away Without the Guilt?

(Editor’s Note: On Sunday, Terri, one of our website visitors, shared a worry in the comment section of our article about leaving and leaving behind the guilt. With Terri’s permission, we include her question and my suggestions in today’s Ask Denise column.) Dear Denise, I have taken care of my mom and dad for the past almost 10 years (my dad died 1 year ago) and now I must relinquish that...

Administration on Aging to Host Listening Forums; First Up: Dallas, Feb. 18

The Older American Act (OAA) funds many programs you and/or your caree may use including Meals on Wheels and the National Family Caregiver Support Progam. In 2011 Congress will consider reauthorization and amendments to the Act effective in FY 2012. In anticipation of this process, the Administration on Aging (AoA) is soliciting input concerning the reauthorization through three mechanisms: (1) AoA-Convened...

Grant Applications from Community Colleges Being Accepted for Accessible Caregiver Training Programs

The Caregiving Project for Older Americans, a partnership of the International Longevity Center-USA and the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education, has announced a fourth year of funding for the Community College Training Initiative grants. The grants, offered through support from MetLife Foundation, are designed to encourage community colleges to develop training programs that are both accessible and...