A Typical Day Around Here

Today is a Monday. There’s no denying it. It is almost lunch time. So are today, here’s what I’ve done (i.e. had to do): 1) Paid Mom’s weekend caregiver 2) Showered, dressed, taken supplements and eaten right (I try, but don’t always succeed, to take care of myself) 3) Started laundry and do the morning chores 4) Talked to my husband’s L&I Case Manager for almost an hour 5)...

Kind

Although you may try not to, some days you may think: What kind of life is this? It’s not the kind of life you envisioned for your caree, for yourself, for others in your life affected by caregiving. And, that kind of life can steal your kindness, replacing it with resentment and bitterness. Know this. You have a kind of life that builds on your values and your priorities. You have the kind of life that...

Sharon’s Holiday Blog Update

This week there is a Holiday Progressive Blog Party taking place at caregiving.com. Also the theme of the Happiness Project on caregiving.com for this month is rejoice. At first glance it would seem ridiculous to associate party and rejoicing with caregiving. The last four and one half years have been very difficult years for my husband and I, and yet when I look back there is so much for which to be thankful. ...

Welcome to the Party!

Hi! How nice of you to stop by the Blog Party! I was going to bake, but realized I couldn’t exactly hand you the cookies, so I didn’t! Today was a good day. Our son was going to a Boy Scout merit badge class and I had to run an errand. My husband, Steve, our son and I were actually at the same place yesterday. It is an art show. I happened to mention that we had somehow broken the glass on another...

Update for Holiday Progressive Web Party

The Happiness Project’s focus for December is “Rejoice.” We have plenty to rejoice about this December. Some of you know that we tried an adult family home for my mom in September, and that it didn’t work out because we didn’t feel she was getting the same quality of care that she had at home. Mom is back home, and we have found a new caregiver who is wonderful that comes for four 24...

Bette’s Blog Party Update

My name is Bette Scott and my husband and I and three children have been caring for my mother in our home for 8 years. Our initial concerns were caused by a left hemisphere stroke she had in 2002. She was left with a right side weakness (her right side was her strong side) and now walks with a walker. Our present concerns deal with dementia. During the last three months she has shown significant decline...

Holiday Progressive Blog Party Starts Today!

Image by k.l.macke via Flickr It’s a cook-free (and dirty dish-less!) Progressive Party. Throughout the week of December 5, we’re stopping 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. You can see the participating blogs and websites here. Simply visit each...

Feeling Overwhelmed

Since I found out I have health issues now, I find it harder to concentrate on my mother’s condition and find myself getting angry again. This whole week I haven’t felt well emotionally or physically but I have no choice to take care of Mom when I come home from work. Mom has been trying to be a bit more independent and not bother me as much but she has been more forgetful then before which I...

Holiday Progressive Blog Party Participants

Thanks so much to the following blogs and websites that have joined our Second Annual Holiday Progressive Blog 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. Be sure to stop by each site during the week. When you stop by,...

Today’s Table Talk: Helping Hands through Technology and a Caregiver Relief Fund

This afternoon on Table Talk, Ryan Whitmore, who blogs about technology for us, joined me. We spoke about his interest in technology for older adults as well as his work with Caregiver Relief Fund. You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post. During our discussion, we talked about how technology will become a really helpful tool for family caregivers. So, I’d love to know: What...

Happy Saturday!

Our Saturday in Chicago brings a pretty snowfall. I hope your Saturday brings you moments of happiness. When it does, share in our comments section below. Updates: Table Talk airs today at Noon CT (1 p.m. ET, 10 a.m. PT). Ryan, who blogs about technology for us, will join us. You can listen live here. Our Holiday Progressive Blog party starts tomorrow! Be sure to stop by Caregiving.com tomorrow to start the party....

Are We Ever Strong Enough?

My mother was always very particular about her appearance. Her hair was always a certain way, her clothes always looked a certain way, and her shoes and purse always matched! As the dementia continues to take hold, my mother’s “certain ways” continue to drift away a bit. Marah, our youngest, is very understanding of all the changes that my mother’s dementia brings. When my mother joins...

An Update about Karen

I received an email from Karen this afternoon—her brother died during the night last night. I hope she doesn’t mind that I’m posting this update. I thought you’d want to know so you can send her your sympathies and messages of support. Feel free to post them in the comments section. Karen: We are thinking of you! We are so sorry for this. Let us know when you can how you’re doing. Know...

Gracious Accountability

This afternoon, on Your Caregiving Journey, Ellen Burton of Tiara Coaching joined us to talk about gracious accountability. In other words, how do you effectively manage the help you receive, whether from family, volunteers or paid professionals? You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post. During our discussion, Ellen shared her thoughts about the characteristics of an effective manager. An...

Talking Money

This morning, on Your Caregiving Journey, Ellen Rogin, our wealthness expert, shared tips on how to have a discussion about money with your aging relatives. You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post. (I recommend you have this discussion as soon as possible, in essence, during the first stage of your journey.) Ellen talked about ways to start the conversation, what information you’ll...

Stress

I was watching/listening to our local PBS station the other night while I was getting ready for bed, after having helped Mom with her bath and closed up the house. I listened to a well-known author telling us that there is no stress in the world. It’s all in how we decide to react to situations. I find it hard to believe that this person has ever been in the position that caregivers are in. I can’t...

Update

I have been a nervous wreck the past few days wondering whether I would be out of commission and not be able to care for my mom. The doctor I went to Monday really did a number on me and freaked me out. Today I went for a 2nd opinion and I really liked the doctor. He was upfront with me about everything and made me feel relieved. The end result is I have to go for more tests but I can continue to take care of my...

What Are Your Questions About Managing Your Caree’s Pain?

How do you know if your caree with dementia is in pain? Are there alternatives to medications to manage pain? Can you manage your caree’s pain effectively at home? When does pain signal a more serious problem? When your caree is in pain (or when you think your caree is in pain), your unanswered questions about what to do become your source of pain. Today, help is on the way. Partners Against Pain®, a...

Happiness Project: December

We’re starting our sixth month of our Caregiving Happiness Project. So, here we go for December. Our goal is Rejoice. The goal can be faith-based for you—or not. You can rejoice in what you believe. You also can rejoice because of the positive changes you’ve made over the past five months. This month, however you do it, it’s about rejoicing. For me, I’m going to rejoice: in my days...

Perspective

I remember going to the roller skating rink sometimes when I was growing up. They always played The Hokey Pokey. Remember, you put your right foot in, you put your right foot out? And of course, “That’s what it’s all about!” We all wondered what “it” was. Was it all about the hokey pokey? Well, I’ve finally got “it” figured out. Perspective. Yup! That’s right. Life is all about...