Traveling Coming to an End, Steroids Introduced & Increased

We’ve been traveling quite a bit since I last posted. (If you would like to see pictures, you can see them at http://thelanfords.com) The hospice team started Chad on steroids right before we left, in hopes of keeping the swelling down and improving his headaches. We took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge. Had a lot of fun, but Chad couldn’t really participate. I started to notice little things that were...

How Will You Add Happiness to Today’s To-Day List?

On Saturdays, we pause to add time for happiness. So, today, how will you be happy? Be sure to share in our comments section so you inspire others to do the same. I look forward to hearing about your happy moments! And, We Break for Summer! begins tomorrow. Be ready to take your photo for our Facebook fan page contest. Related Articles Happy for Others (caregiving.com) Join Our Happiness Project...

Interesting Experience

Today, Steve and I had an interesting experience. We were interviewed for about an hour and a half to see if we would be good candidates to participate in a panel discussion at a region Alzheimer’s conference in September. It was a very interesting experience. I let Steve talk as much as he wanted and tried to answer only the questions that were asked of me rather than jumping in and trying to answer for Steve....

Tell Us: What Do You Wish Would Just Get Easier?

Maybe it’s something you’ve been doing for years for your caree, like transferring him or her from bed to commode or preparing a special pureed meal. But every time you face the bed or the blender, you think: I just wish this would get easier. Or, perhaps it’s a moment during the day that still catches you, that hits you hard, that makes you think: I wish this would stop hurting so much. Today,...

Still

If you can, I hope you can find time for stillness today. And, to help you enjoy the quiet, I’ve found some comforting quotes and a beautiful photo for you. “Love comes to those who still hope even though they’ve been disappointed, to those who still believe even though they’ve been betrayed, to those who still love even though they’ve been hurt before.” ~ Author Unknown “May...

Confidence in Our Own Feelings

Abrah and I returned safely last night from our weekend away, and had a wonderful time.  Greg did a great job here and everyone was happy, in a clean and organized house when we returned!  My mother did a terrific job.  She even tried to make her bed a couple of times–she hasn’t done that in over 5 years.  So…I wish I hadn’t worried so much, but this trip definitely prepared me for...

Exemplary Programs that Support, Educate Family Caregivers Honored

Representatives from leading aging organizations and agencies from around the nation convened in St. Louis today to honor the 2010 winners of the National Family Caregiving Awards, sponsored by the National Alliance for Caregiving with support from MetLife Foundation. The programs were recognized for their innovation, effectiveness, and response to caregiver needs in their communities. “We were thrilled...

Wave

I love the word “wave” because it has so many purposes. We wave hello and good-bye. The ocean greets land with its own wave of white foam. And, at sporting events, we coordinate timing of our arms and bodies in order to create a stadium-wide wave. In caregiving, we also can wave. We can wave away a bad day, knowing that good days follow. We can wave “hello” to help knowing that involvement...

This Week’s Poll: How Do You Keep in Touch?

In this week’s poll, sponsored by Caregiving.com and eCareDiary.com, we wonder: How do you keep in touch with family and friends? How do you stay connected with family and friends?online...

In Memory of Nour

We received terrible news today. Our neighbor’s 12-year-old daughter passed away this morning. The neighborhood is in shock. In the unfortunate way neighborhoods often operate, many of us heard only last week that Nour had been in the hospital earlier this summer. Another neighbor and I spoke to Nour’s father Saturday afternoon and asked how she was doing. He told us that earlier in the summer...

July 19

Tomorrow I get my stitches out after the CT surgery. My fingertips are still a bit numb, but the doctor said this is normal and should improve over the next 3 months. But I can hold a telephone without numbness, hold a pen, type, so I think things are a lot better. Mum did another massage today because of her lymph glands that don’t work. Her feet/ankles are still very swollen. I don’t know if these...

How… Will You Be Happy Today?

On Saturdays, we take time to enjoy as many moments of happiness as we can. If it’s just one moment, we’ll take it. If it’s 30 moments, even better. So, today, how will you be happy? Tell us so you can inspire others to do the same. Updates: Table Talk aired this morning; you can listen to a quick show on inspiration via the player at the bottom of the post. And, our next show airs Monday, July...

Five Traits of Well-Being

This morning on Your Caregiving Journey, Anna Stookey, our emotional wellness expert, joined us to discuss the five traits of well-being: Hope, gratitude, curiosity, zest and capacity to love/be loved. You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post. As always with Anna, I had a few “ah-ha” moments, especially about the relationship between our ability to accept love and our ability...

Too Much For Me?

It has been an interesting few days. Last night I was feeling pretty discouraged. I hardly ever cry, but I even found myself having a good cry. First of all Wayne has been spending a lot of his time lately sleeping away his days. Then we had some rather difficult transfers from his wheelchair to the bathroom and back to his wheelchair yesterday. A lot of the time this goes fairly smoothly, but when he is tired...

Brain Games

This morning on Your Caregiving Journey, Joni Gatz-Bauman, a member of the Brain Coach team at Marbles the Brain Store, shared games and activities you can enjoy with your caree. (You can listen to our discussion via the player at the bottom of the post.) Joni shared the following book and products recommendations: —”Keep Your Brain Alive” by Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D. & Manning Rubin features...

Happy for Others

Today, our Your Caregiving Journey, Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, author of “A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness,” joined us for our monthly chat on happiness. Usually, we talk about how to be a happier you. Today, we spoke about how to be a happy you on behalf of others. In other words, we discussed how to be happy for others when your own happiness seems elusive. You can listen to our show...

How… Will You Be Stronger?

We often talk about a shortcoming that we want to improve or change. We may feel impatient, so work to gain more patience. We may feel we rush too much through our day, so want to slow down. We may feel we are quick to criticize, so commit to focusing on holding our tongue. Certainly, we can gain by working on our weaknesses. What if, though, we looked at our strengths and said: This is working really well for me....

We Break for Summer! Starts July 25

In May, we celebrated the arrival of spring by taking time to reflect and step away. We had so much fun that we’re making “We Break…” a quarterly event. It’s July so that means it’s time for We Break for Summer!. We’ll celebrate summer while encouraging you to take a break (even a short five-minute one) daily to do something just for you or about you. Our special week begins July 25...

To Soar

“Hide me now, under your wings, cover me within Your mighty hands. When the oceans rise and thunders roar, I will soar with You above the storm. Father you are King over the flood, I will be still and know you are God.  Find rest my soul in Christ alone. Know His power in quietness and trust.” This is a song written by Hillsong that the  worship team at our church sometimes plays.  How...

Prayer for Mom….and Me….

Mom has been very congested since yesterday.  No food today, only sleeping.  Don’t think I will get her meds in either if she won’t eat.  Oxygen has been brought should we need it.  Running a low temp.  Nurse came last night and twice today, coming tomorrow.  She was so hot this morning between the temp and a faulty pump on her air bed that was putting out too much warm air.  That is replaced...

Replace

Replace is our word of the month for those of us involved with the Happiness Project. I have been pondering how well I am doing with this. I am seeking this month to replace carrying around my emotional burdens with consciously seeking to release them to God in prayer. Every time a negative emotion comes up and they have continued to come up, I have resolved to take a deep breath and release it or give it to...

Spontaneity

Every year in January I set lots of goals for the year. I try to make them measurable although one for 2010 definitely is not. I set a goal to be more spontaneous because I am not at all. The goal does not have a specific number of times to do this because I think planning to be spontaneous would defeat the purpose. Friday morning I was very spontaneous! While our son was out running six miles with the cross...