A Note From Carol
Welcome! We are picking up new readers daily, which
I find exciting. I?m looking forward to hearing from
more of you. If you want me to look for links to
service providers, I?ll do what I can.
I?ll continue to provide you with articles, but will be
looking for more writers who want to contribute, so if
you have an article that is pertinent to this ezine,
please email me and we?ll take a look. Some reader
contribution would be fun.
This week I?m featuring an article by Barbara Mascio
of Senior Approved Services and we?ll feature the
National Family Caregiver?s Association (NFCA).
NFCA has many resources to help all kinds of
caregivers and I recommend them highly.
In my part of the country ? Fargo, North Dakota to
be exact ? we always look forward to spring. It?s so
nice to get rid of ice and snow (at least for most of
us).
As a caregiver, I plowed my car through blizzards to
reach my mother, who I knew was lying on her
livingroom floor, needing help. I pushed my father-in-
law, all two hundred plus pounds of his 6?4? frame,
through ice and snow to get him to doctor
appointments. This was a challenge for my 5?3?
body, but I made it. That was a few years back. I
don?t think I could do it now.
Often we caregivers do many things that seem
supernatural in hindsight. We do what needs to be
done, usually without thinking of the toll it takes on
our own bodies. I know I?m paying a price for lugging
around wheelchairs, lifting them into car trunks,
pulling large men up off floors ? you name it. But
when someone is in pain or needs help, we do it.
This ezine, my Web site, my blog and my book have
all been created to support caregivers and seniors. A
sick or broken caregiver can?t help anyone. Let me
know what I can do to help you.
Take care of yourself,
Carol
Quick Links...
|
|
Hello!
Caregiving expert Carol Bradley Bursack, Author,
speaker and columnist presents a collection of
articles, stories, news and research for you to
browse. Please check the blog and Web site links for
more information. Thanks for reading.
.
|
|
Minding Our Elders: Grief Or Relief - Which Is It?
|
|
?Carol, I?m so sorry about your dad,? people told me
after he died. ?I?m sure you miss him.? They were
right. I missed him terribly. But, my dad had,
effectively, died on an operating table ten years
before. The man we just buried was my dad, yet not
really. The pain ? the grief ? had started after I knew
he would never again be the man who went into
surgery. The pain started early on. And his death? It
brought grief. But it also brought relief. The suffering
was over.
|
|
How to Drive Your Elder Parent Crazy In Five Easy Steps
|
|
Barbara Mascio, owner of Senior Approved Services,
writes terrific articles. I've featured her site before.
Now, I'm treating you to one of my favorite articles
written by this talented woman. I have no doubt you'll
enjoy it. Find our how to drive your parents crazy from
Barbara:
Many families provide care for an older parent. Some
through assumed family obligation and with others it
is necessary due to the rising cost of elder care
services. A discussion of what the definition of ?help
is' often times does not occur. Consequently,
assumptions are made and those assumptions can
drive the entire family crazy. The following five steps
are in jest but should drive home the need to openly
discuss the potential of a parent needing help
someday.
|
|
Dementia: As I Sit Blogging...
|
|
Blogging about blogging. I've read about that, but I
find it interesting to be doing it. I blog for
www.ouralzheimers.com twice a week. As I was
formulating, in my mind, the blogs for next week, I
actually came up with blogs for four weeks. About
dementia.
Standard approaches to dealing with people with
dementia tend to be to distract, re-direct them, or
get into their world. In my dementia blogs, I will be
telling of four of my family members, each with a
different dementia. I'll be doing the same here,
eventually.
|
|
Listen To An Elder?s Story and You Both Gain
|
|
When my dad was recovering from a back operation
he needed someone to stay with him, even though
there wasn?t much work that needed to be done.
My mother was with him most of the time. I?d take
time to be with him to give my mother time off.
When she was gone, I?d encourage Dad to tell me
stories about his very unusual childhood. I heard
things I don?t believe I?d heard before. Maybe I had,
but wasn?t truly listening.
|
|
Featured Organization
|
|
Each month I will spotlight a business, organization or
Web site that I think readers will find interesting. This
month, I want to tell you about the National Family
Caregivers Association (NFCA).
This organization is the gold standard for caregivers.
Their site is full of free information. You can belong,
free, as a caregiver, or for a very small fee, you can
belong as professional. Either way, you win.
Below you will find their Mission Statement.
"The National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA)
supports, empowers, educates, and speaks up for the
more than 50 million Americans who care for a
chronically ill, aged, or disabled loved one. NFCA
reaches across the boundaries of different diagnoses,
different relationships and different life stages to
address the common needs and concerns of all family
caregivers.
We are committed to improving the overall quality of
life of caregiving families and minimizing the disparities
between family caregivers and non-caregivers."
|
|
|
