What to Wear to Oncology

Plum/orange hat-consignment store; vintage 1940′s plum wool jacket with fur trim, vintage orange leather gloves, vintage jewelry-estate sales; long black rayon skirt-Camille cast off. Nelson’s oncology appointment today was  a consultation to determine follow-up details. His blood work values continue to indicate cancer growth and liver dysfunction. The chemo infusion two weeks ago did nothing but cause...

Off to the Doctor, In a Snowstorm

Mom has all the signs of another full-blown UTI. We’re off to her primary care doctor this afternoon, and it’s snowing like crazy. Her wheelchair van turns into a sled in the snow. The ambulance won’t come down our hill when it’s snowy or icy. We have a Jeep Cherokee, but I’d have to physically lift Mom in and out of it. Must be a Monday. I’m so tired, my body hurts everywhere...

Elders Making Music – Link

Hey Everybody, hoping everyone and their loved ones are doing ok. I wanted to share a possibly helpful link, that some of you may already know about, from the main textbook in my grad course this Spring Term at UMass/Boston, “Social Aspects of Aging.” The test is “Aging, the Individual, and Society (Barrow & Hillier, 2011, Wadsworth). In the Chapter 3 intro, they talk about a link called...

Cooking for Caregiving – What Does It Take?

Thanks very much for the responses to our first post! It was very gratifying to get feedback, and to start to hear more about your ideas and issues. In that post, we outlined what we were trying to do in a general way … help provide information and possibly develop  solutions that will assist caregivers with the challenges of nutrition and meal preparation. We’d like to start diving into more detailed...

I See The Light

“Honey?” Hubby asks. I look through the bathroom door into the bedroom as I gather clothes for the washing machine. “Yes?” “Come here and help me with this lamp.” I ask Hubby if he wants it off and he answers yes. I set the dirty clothes down on the top of the hamper and step into the room. I move Hubby’s over the bed table to reach the lamp and touch it. The light goes...

Solitaire Showdown Smack Board

Update: Congrats to Shandi, who won with the high score of 637. Shandi held off her competitors for hours! Our Leader Board with the six highest scores is right. Thanks, everyone, for a great tournament! Look for our next showdown soon. Today is Solitaire Showdown! I wipe the Leader Board clean at Noon CT (1 p.m. ET, 10 a.m. ET); the holder of the high score eight hours later wins. The winner receives an...

Best Laid Plans…

We’ve had a pretty good week here. I had planned to take Mom to the Flower and Garden Show today, but mother nature didn’t cooperate with our idea of celebrating spring. We’ve had snow, snow, snow for the past 3 days along with record low temperatures. For those of you on the east coast, it’s nothing in comparison. Last weekend, we were having a picnic with both moms on the back patio. This...

About to be Reprimanded

My mother has been quite reluctant (at times, mean) lately with showers, brushing her teeth, and really anything that requires walking. She has begun to sleep mid-morning and again after lunch, wanting to head to bed by 7 or so. Last night we were eating pizza and she broke a tooth off–very close to the gum line. Because of her reluctancy, I have not been taking the proper “parenting” role....

Crone Cone Crown

Long vintage turquoise wool coat for Auer’s-estate sale, vintage turquoise/fuschia/black velvet cone hat and  vintage fuschia gloves-estate sales, patent leather boots and belt-yard sales. Today Nelson and The Style Crone decided to spend two days at the end of this week at the historic Broadmoor, a luxury hotel about an hour from home. As I drove to yoga this morning I attempted to identify and name the feeling...

Vent

I’m only doing this because I need a vent about Lewy Body Dementia. I have found that through blogging I have a way to release my feelings and it becomes a way of self help. Keeping my thoughts and feelings sorted. Allowing me to re read them and realize things are not as bad as they appeared at the time. I am not looking for sympathy or a pat on the back. I just want to vent. As I stated in the writing of...

Tell Us: Why Does Growing Come During Hardship?

This morning on Your Caregiving Journey, I answered your questions in a special edition of Table Talk called “Ask Denise.” You can listen to our show via the player below. During the show, I answered these questions: What are the three best things caregivers can do for themselves? Could you define “strength”? Are “expectations” ever healthy or do they put us in a bad...

Stormy Weather

I live in the OC. Yes, that OC, but not that part of it. We are expecting a cold storm from Alaska. According to this morning’s newspaper, the forecast for Saturday is a high of 41. The picture is of a dark cloud with rain, and I’m not kidding, snow! Made me wonder if it was April 1st! Weather.com gave a slightly different report with no snow (bummer!) and a high of 46 degrees. Let’s review again. This is...

Mom Bibs

While shopping for a baby gift this weekend, I noticed all of the cute bibs. It reminded me that many of our caree’s have trouble handling food. Although Mom does pretty good, sometimes she is shaky. We have a drawer full of pretty, decorative kitchen towels which have been given to us as gifts. These make perfect “bibs” for Mom. She can tuck the end in the neck of her top to catch any spills. I...

Managing the Power of a Durable POA

This morning, on Your Caregiving Journey, Stephen J. Silverberg, Esq., CELA, CA of the Law Office of Stephen J. Silverberg, PC, joined us for a discussion on durable powers of attorney. You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post. In a caregiving situation, the following documents are important: A durable Power of Attorney which designates an individual to manage finances on behalf of a...

Survey Results: 44% Know of Someone with Alzheimer’s

MetLife Foundation released survey results today that reveal Americans’ fear of Alzheimer’s is second only to cancer.  “What America Thinks: The MetLife Foundation Alzheimer’s Survey,” a report conducted by Harris Interactive, found that most people are not preparing for the strong possibility that they or their family members will develop Alzheimer’s, despite significant fear...

Afraid to Fly

I keep reminding myself that last Saturday was a GREAT day! I need to keep reminding myself because, ever since then, Hubby has been wiped out. Physically and mentally. Hubby has been sleeping a lot more. He sleeps all the time so how can that seem possible? I have to wake him to eat and use the bathroom but there are times he won’t even budge to do those. When he has been awake he has been in a huffy mood....

WANTED: Dead or Alive

Early in the process of creating my list for my Journey of 50 Lunches, I realized that there were individuals that have had significant impact on my life…but were no longer walking on this earth. Hmmm….that posed a challenge for me. How, exactly, was I going to have lunch with someone that was no longer alive? How could I honor their impact as part of my journey of gratitude? Well, in two cases so far,...

Blah!

Sometimes, it’s just hard to find the word to describe what a struggle or disappointment or upset feels like. During those times, I use the word “blah.” And, sometimes, when it’s a really difficult struggle, disappointment or upset, I’ll add an exclamation point. “Blah!” And, then, I’ll sigh. When it’s tough, it’s hard not to think: How much longer? When...

What to Wear to Yoga and More

Vintage turquoise knit headwear, vintage turquoise/black plastic dangle earring, vintage mustard gloves-estate sales, turquoise/mustard faux pashmina-street vendor, black yoga wear foundation. The Style Crone enjoys putting outfits together that can travel from yoga to activities before or after class. This headwear looks like short turquoise dreadlocks to me, and never fails to bring a smile to my face when it...

Giving Happy

This morning, on Your Caregiving Journey, Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo joined me to help this question: Why do we have to work at happiness? Why isn’t it a given? You can listen to our show via the player below. (We had technical problems which abruptly ended the show. I didn’t get a chance to thank you for listening. So, thank you for listening.) Our happiness is a combination of genetics (60%) and our...

Poll: Does Your Employer Provide Flexibility?

Working and caregiving can be tough to mix: They both are full-time jobs. In this week’s poll, sponsored by Caregiving.com and eCareDiary.com, we ask: Does your employer provide the flexibility you need? Please vote and feel free to share your stories in our comments section. Does Your Employer Provide the Flexibility You Need as a Caregiver?survey software Related Articles When Have You...

Some Good News

During Mom’s last visit to the renal specialist, he told her that her kidney function had declined and he wanted to prepare her for eventually undergoing dialysis. She told him she definitely did not want dialysis. He said he would respect that decision. Given her hemoglobin numbers, he gave her a Pro-Crit shot. He put her back on regular monthly lab work. I took Mom back for her regular visit today. And all...