Waves

Yesterday I was awestruck by the beautiful sunrise. First, there were the beautiful pinks coming forth all across the sky and then the gradual yellows; as the early morning sun rose into view. Waves of joy and gratitude for God’s faithfulness surfaced in my heart. Other kinds of waves hit me at times also, however. These are waves of sadness. I really believe my caregiving life has meaning, and I believe...

Center of Attention

Today as I entered my parents’ living facility the staff began calling out my dad’s name: “John, you’ve got a visitor! John, you’ve got company! Someone’s here to see you John!”… on and on they went, a half dozen people simultaneously calling out my father’s name and cheering him on. It is the middle of lunch but everything comes to halt and all eyes, staff and...

This Week’s Poll: How Do You Feel About the Holidays?

This week’s poll, sponsored by Caregiving.com and eCareDiary.com, we ask: How do you feel about the holidays? Vote in our poll, below. And, feel free to share a comment. How Do You Feel About the Holidays?customer surveys Related Articles A Holiday Contest: The Craziest Comment from a Family Member (caregiving.com) Webinar Follow-Up: What Steps Will You Take Toward Your Holiday Vision?...

Holiday Progressive Blog Party Starts December 5!

Image by Julep67 via Flickr It’s a cook-free (and dirty dish-less!) Progressive Party. Throughout the week of December 5, we’ll stop by the blogs of family caregivers, dropping off holiday well-wishes and good cheer. Our party also includes companies that provides services and/or products to help family caregivers. Because no party is complete without presents, we’ve got prizes! We’re...

Progressive Blog Party Guidelines

Are you a family caregiver with a blog? Between December 5 and 11, be a host in our Holiday Progressive Blog Party! It’s a cook-free party; instead of dishes, we’re sharing comfort and support. Throughout the week of December 5, we’ll stop by the blogs of family caregivers, dropping off holiday well-wishes and good cheer. On Caregiving.com, we’ll giving away a gift a day. To win, just post a...

How Do I Take Care of Mom If I Get Sick?

I went for a physical today for the first time in a year. I haven’t been feeling well and decided it was time to go. All the stress from taking care of mom had taken it’s toll on me. I haven’t been taking care of myself as my priority was mom. The doctor did an EKG and found I have a very slow heart rate.  He mentioned about wearing a heart monitor but my insurance doesn’t cover it. The...

Over

Sometimes, it’s the word you dread to hear. When a relationship ends, you may hear, “It’s over.” When a wonderful experience ends, you think, “It’s over.” You may clench your teeth when you’re told to “get over it.” And, sometimes, you feel that the life you want is over there, rather than right here. When you lengthen the word, you see its power. You...

November 28

We finally gave mum antibiotics because her chest seemed to always be full. It helped and she seemed to get quite a bit better, then her feet began to swell tremendously. We took her to the doctor on Tuesday who prescribed a diuretic twice a day for two days, and then once a day from then on. This has gotten her feet down to size again. The doctor also asked for several blood tests and an ecocardiogram to see if...

Last Night

This week they switched Mom’s days of dialysis since they were closed on Thanksgiving. She normally doesn’t have it on Friday. When she came home from dialysis she seemed different. She had a little bit of the shakes. Mom is on seizure medication which she takes three times a day since she had the seizure twice in the hospital. I start to get very nervous seeing her shake. Around midnight last night she...

Family Dinner

Now that all of the kids are grown and have homes and families of their own, they rotate hosting holiday dinners. This year, the youngest boy and his wife have a house, rather than an apartment, and hosted for the first time. Everyone contributes to the dinner, so that all of the work doesn’t fall on one family. (I contribute my special dinner rolls.) They always fix special portions to meet Grandma’s dietary...

Happy Saturday

Hard to believe it’s Saturday again. So… on Saturdays, we take a break from worry and fretting to have happiness. On this Saturday, how will you by happy? Share in our comments section below.

Support Small Businesses this Saturday

Today is is the first-ever Small Business SaturdaySM,  a day to come together in support of the small businesses you use. Caregiving.com is a very small business that I hope makes a big impact on your day. I hope you find something in our articles and blogs that speaks to you, that lessens your worries, that shows you that you have company. We also offer books and coaching services to accompany you on your...

A Daffodil on Thanksgiving?

We had a very nice Thanksgiving day, one of the nicest we have had in a very long time. I am so thankful for my coaching sessions with Denise. I continue to learn and grow in ways that I never thought possible, particularly while immersed in caregiving. Recently, I am challenged by learning not to lean on expectations; not  to worry about others’ reactions (people tend to react to dementia), and not to...

Our Thanksgiving Day

We had a nice Thanksgiving. After a wonderful Thanksgiving service in church we had Thanksgiving dinner at our house with our local son’s and his wife’s family. They brought a lion share of the food. I made the side dishes and pies and set up the tables. We also had an acquaintance of them who is a foreign exchange student from Malawi who is attending a local college at our dinner table. This student also...

How Do You Stay Inspired?

This morning on Your Caregiving Journey, Holly, who blogs on Caregiving.com and on her own site about caring for her husband, Dave, joined us to talk about staying inspired in caregiving. Holly shared her experience moving to acceptance of her life caring for her husband. That acceptance led her to feel joy and peace. She shared the difference between motivation (an external force) and inspiration (an internal...

Tell Us: What Are Your (Emotional) Left-Overs?

(A note from Denise: I hope yesterday was a good day for everyone. But just in case…) It was yesterday so it should be in our past. But, sometimes, the emotional left-overs hang around as long as those turkey legs. Those holiday hang-overs of resentments and regrets or sadness and sullenness can turn the next few days sour. Who wants that? So, tell us: What are your emotional left-overs? Tell us now so you...

Webinar Follow-Up: What’s Your Take-Away

On Wednesday, we held our free webinar, Healing Family Rifts. If you didn’t have a chance to attend, you can listen to the webinar here. We’d love to know: After listening to the webinar, what’s different for you? Please share in our comments section. Related Articles Webinar Follow-Up: What Steps Will You Take Toward Your Holiday Vision? (caregiving.com) Webinar Follow-Up: Which Wellness Are...

Our Relaxed Thanksgiving

Today was a very good Thanksgiving. I was relaxed and enjoyed the day. This past year has changed me into a more patient and relaxed person. I had my list written out so I knew what I had to do and which food I needed to prepare. It was actually last night that I noticed a change in myself regarding our Thanksgiving preparations. Earlier in the week I decided I needed to make four different types of cookies for...

Snippets of Holiday

There were several conversations which I will long remember from this year. Daughter: “…after I move out will you and my brother invite me back for Thanksgiving?” Me: “you will always have a place at home…just warn me first so I can be here too.” Dad: “when did Jo get killed?” Me: “Dad I’m not dead, I’m right here!” Dad (still not recognizing me): “…when did Jo get killed?” Me:...

Today was a good day!

For the first time in a really long time I had such a wonderful holiday! My mom’s aide did not come today and I thought I would be on call much of the day however it turned out there were no issues  and no drama with our company.  The food and the conversation just seemed to flow along with the laughter and smiles! It was one of the best Thanksgivings I have had! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

This Week’s Poll: What Are Your Thanksgiving Plans?

This week’s poll, sponsored by Caregiving.com and eCareDiary.com, asks about your Thanksgiving plans. We hope, whatever you do, you have moments of comfort, even if only provided by a second helping of mashed potatoes. Happy Thanksgiving! What Are Your Thanksgiving Plansonline...

The Sun is Still Shining!

Some days can be cloudy and dreary. Some days can be sunshiny and bright. I was thinking this morning when I saw the beautiful sunrise that it is so much easier to feel joyful in one’s spirit when one can see the sun shining in all its brilliance. Even on days when we can not see the sun, however, it is still shining. It is just hiding behind the clouds. Caregiving is like that also. So often we can’t see...