Denise on March 2nd, 2010

In caregiving, the world can seem to consist of “either…or.” The world, then, might become these thoughts:

Either I put my needs second or my caree doesn’t have his needs met.
Either I stay with my caree constantly or bad things will happen.
Either I put my life on hold or my caree will not have what he [...]

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Denise on March 1st, 2010

Do you sometimes wonder if hope is friend or foe?
You hope, but your hopes don’t seem to materialize. You hope a sibling will be more sensitive to all you do, you hope your care recipient will know more pain-free days, you hope your life will be easier. But, the hopes just seem to stay that—hopes.
Try [...]

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Denise on February 27th, 2010

On Thursday, Becky Lowry and Nancy Hanley, My Health Care Manager, joined us on Your Caregiving Journey to share activity ideas to beat back the cabin fever. You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of this post.
Some suggestions we discussed during the show include:
1. Move–exercise can help you both feel [...]

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Denise on February 20th, 2010

Today on Your Caregiving Journey, Donna Ryan joined us to talk about her recent trip to Atlanta with her mom. (You can listen to our discussion via the player at the bottom of this post.)
Toward the end of the show, we talked about the worry about discussing caregiving with non-caregiving friends. With the worry comes [...]

Continue reading about Even If a Choice, It’s Still Difficult

Denise on February 19th, 2010

I recently saw this quote:
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. ~ Annie Dillard
Oh, geez, I thought. Really?
My immediate thought: I spend my days doing things I don’t want to do so someday I can do what I want.
Is this really my life?

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Denise on January 26th, 2010

Today, on Your Caregiving Journey, we had our monthly book club discussion. Our January pick was “How to Communicate with Alzheimer’s: A Practical Guide & Workbook for Families” by Susan Kohler MS, CCC-SLP. Susan joined our discussion. (You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of the post.)
During out discussion, Susan [...]

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Denise on January 16th, 2010

This week, we took a closer look at a situation that’s common but sometimes not shared. We asked: When do you wish for the pink slip from caregiving?
Today, on Table Talk, we tackled some of the top reasons you may feel like walking and then offered some suggestions we hope makes it easier to stay. [...]

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Denise on January 13th, 2010

You plow through the days, doing your best to stay positive, strong, smiling.
But, some days, well, you just find yourself wishing for a pink slip. If only you could just walk away from your caregiving role, you think, life would be so much better. And, worse, the wish to walk weighs heavily on your heart. [...]

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Denise on January 10th, 2010

Image by Industry Is Virtue via Flickr

Liz has a debate going on in her head and a torment going on in her heart.
It’s been a bad day. And, not for any particular reason that Liz can pinpoint. It could be that her youngest will turn 10 soon. Or that next week her mom will be [...]

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Denise on January 2nd, 2010

On Table Talk today, I offered ideas for your New Year’s Resolutions. Why not, I suggested, base your resolutions on “allowing”? (You can listen to our show via the player at the bottom of this post.)
So, in 2010, resolve to allow:
1. Vulnerability. You are incredibly strong. Be strong not only in your stoicism but in [...]

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