Posted in Alzheimer's, Blogroll, CNN, aging, amazon, authors, book reviews, books, boomer women, care partner, care receiver, caregiver, caregiver stress, caregiving, community care, dark humor, daughters, depression, eldercare, emotional, family caregiving, geriatrics, grieving, guilt, healthcare, inspirational, joy and purpose, kunati, law of attractin, marriage, memoir, mid-life crisis, mothering, mothers, passion, perfection, psychologists, publishers, publishing, radio, relationships, senior care, sibling rivalry, speaking, spiritual, television, the secret, therapists, women, women's health, writing on February 29, 2008 | 5 Comments »
I had this huge personal revelation that was a part of a deep belief system–and I realized that I did this very “thing” during caregiving–and if I did this, other caregivers might be doing it too.
This is the “thing” I’m talking about.
Paying for what you’ve done.
Example: You know how when you’re a kid and you’re supposed [...]
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Posted in Uncategorized on February 28, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Anybody out there the black sheep of the family?
Do you know that many “black sheeps” become caregivers?
You’d think they’d be the last to cut pills or put on their parent’s socks, but actually, they do it quite well.
There are reasons black sheeps come back to the fold.
I was an only child (adopted), so I [...]
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Posted in 5057962, care partner, care receiver, caregiver, caregiver stress, caregiving, daughters, dementia, elder driving, eldercare, family caregiving, golden years, guilt, inspirational, law of attraction, memoir, mothering, neurological disorders, retirement, senior care, seniors, studio 10 tv, teenagers, the secret, women's health, writing, tagged seniors, caregiving, Alzheimer's, dementia, sandwich generation, parkinson's, elder driving on February 27, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Caregivers and the folks they love and care for experience transition in rapid succession.
It’s a lot like when your child turned fifteen–they can drive with you in the car, and before you know it, they’re sixteen and begging to drive alone–you aren’t ready for this–or for the dating, curfews, part-time jobs, SAT preps, and BAM! [...]
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Posted in Alzheimer's, CNN, adult day cares, amazon, artists, authors, book club, boomer women, boomers, care partner, care receiver, caregiver, caregiver stress, caregiving, daughters, eldercare, elderly, emotional, end of life, family, family caregiving, geriatrics, grieving, healthcare, home passing, hospice, hospital, medicine, memoir, pallative care, parenting, relationships, senior care, seniors, theory on February 25, 2008 | 3 Comments »
Sometimes family members have done all they can do.
Even with home-health aids, their loved one’s care needs become too much. As much as I encourage elders to live in their own homes and communities as long as they can, and as much as I believe in family cargiving, I do know that there might come [...]
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Posted in Uncategorized on February 22, 2008 | No Comments »
One thing I wish I had done during my caregiving years was to have encouraged my mother to try adult day care–for her and for me.
But a bigger wish is that I had found an adult day care that Here’s a big gold star to: my mother would have looked forward to going to–a place to make [...]
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Posted in Alzheimer's, Dr. Seuss, World War II, adult day cares, aging, artists, authors, book club, book reviews, books, bookstores, boomer women, boomers, brain, care receiver, caregiver, caregiver stress, caregiving, circus, community care, dads, dark humor, daughters, death, dementia, depression, eldercare, elderly, emotional, end of life, family, family caregiving, golden years, grieving, guilt, healthcare, hospital, humor, jugglers, kunati, law of attraction, memoir, mid-life crisis, mothering, mothers, pallative care, parents, passion, psychologists, relationships, senior care, seniors, speaking, spiritual, support groups, walking, weight gain, will to live, women, women's health, writing, zoo on February 20, 2008 | 6 Comments »
Lions, tigers, and support groups, oh my!
I have to admit, I didn’t attend a monthly caregiver’s support group while I cared for my mom. Why?
I guess you can chalk it up to my preacher’s kid background, but I’m about meeting’ed out. I was a notorious school skipper in high school and I still have problems [...]
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Posted in Uncategorized on February 18, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Caregivers, I say this in love–Get a life!
People used to suggest that I attend a caregiver’s support group when I was caring for my mother full-time. I’m sure that a good part of this advice had to do with the fact that they just wanted me to stop griping and whining to them.
I do believe [...]
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Posted in Alzheimer's, aging, caregiver, caregiving, death, dementia, dying, eldercare, emotional, end of life, family caregiving, healthcare, home passing, hospice, memoir, mothers, pallative care, relationships, writing on February 15, 2008 | 5 Comments »
It’s six at night. There’s longing in the air. I wake up from a fitful sleep to the sound of Mother’s choppy breaths. It has grown even more ragged than before, with pauses, much longer pauses between hard puffs of exhalation.–From Mothering Mother
As I became my mother’s full-time caregiver, and as her Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s spiraled [...]
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Posted in 4783963, ALS, Alzheimer's, affection, aging, amazon, authors, book club, book reviews, books, bookstores, boomer women, boomers, care partner, care receiver, caregiver, caregiver stress, caregiving, cats, chaos, community care, couples, dark humor, daughters, dementia, depression, doctors, dogs, dying, elder rage, eldercare, elderly, emotional, end of life, family caregiving, geriatrics, golden years, guilt, healthcare, heart disease, hospice, hospital, inspirational, internet, intimacy, joy and purpose, law of attractin, library, love, marketing, marriage, media, memoir, menopause, mid-life crisis, mothering, mothers, oprah, pallative care, parenting, parents, passion, passions, pets, psychologists, publishing, relationships, romance, senior care, seniors, sex, speaking, spiritual, weight gain, women, women's health, writing on February 15, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Caregiving isn’t exactly synonymous with a spicy love life–not until now. Maybe a passionate love life is just what the doctor ordered…
Dr. Christine Northrup, Oprah’s gynecologist on speed dial and author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom, and the Wisdom of Menopause suggests that you spend 30 minutes three time a week in “self love.”
(Yes, that’s right. [...]
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Posted in 4693466, 746, Alzheimer's, aging, amazon, authors, book reviews, books, bookstores, boomer women, boomers, caregiver, caregiver stress, caregiving, daughters, death, dementia, dying, end of life, geriatrics, grieving, health, healthcare, hospice, hospital, kunati, literacy, memoir, mothering, mothers, pallative care, parents, senior care, seniors, spiritual, will to live on February 14, 2008 | 3 Comments »
Every passing is different, and yet, there’s something universal about those final days, hours, and moments.
Most people don’t want to talk about this, and now, most by far, do not have an intimate, up-close experience with death.
I needed to know how to do this. How to be there, how to incorporate this monumental event into [...]
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