A Note From Carol
Dear Friends,
I've always been a person who tries to look at both
sides of an issue. In fact, some people have
considered me "wishy-washy" because I can argue
one side of something, then switch and argue the
other. My dad was in debate in college. Maybe it's
genetic.
Anyway, when it comes to eldercare, obviously my
experience is that of the caregiver. With two decades
caring for seven people racked up, I do know a bit
about the issues that face caregivers, as well as the
seniors they care for.
A couple of weeks back, I went through a type of
sensitivity training dubbed "Dementia Boot Camp."
However, never before have I had such a powerful
lesson in what it is like to be on the otherside. Many,
but not all of you, are signed up for my blog. If so, you
probably have read the posts. If not, please don't miss
these. The training was part of staff training for Bethany
Homes, one of the facilities in my area.
The links to the blogs are:
Dementia Boot Camp
Part I
Dementia Boot Camp II
I also want to give some ink to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-
MN, for championing caregiving issues in Congress.
She equates elder care issues now with child care
issue in the 1970s. I agree with her. Many problems
need to be addressed, especially in the work place.
Society operates differently now than it did when
families lived within blocks of one another, and Mom
was at home to watch over everything. I've mentioned
Sen. Klobuchar in the blog, as well, because the Star
Tribune carried a good article about her efforts.
Onward to some articles and our business of the
month. As always, email me with questions, opinions
and suggestions. And take care of yourself.
Carol
Quick Links...
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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 and feel free to email Carol at
carol@mindingourelders.com to chat or ask
questions. Thanks for reading.
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Am I IT?
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It is common that one adult child of a family assumes
most of the responsibility for the care on the elders.
Often, it's the one who lives closest to the elder, but not
always. Susan, a woman I interviewed for Minding Our
Elders, lives 300 miles away from her mother, while
she has two siblings that live in her mother's town. Yet,
Susan is "it."
While she was the natural choice to do the financial
work involved, she also became the one who took her
mother in for cataract surgery, kept her mother in her
home to do the daily eye drops, figured out care for her
Alzheimer's stricken mother - in the home town where
her siblings lived. Is there any wonder that she gets
the "why me" feeling?
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Proactive Involvement with Your Loved One's Care
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Another terrific article by Barbara Mascio, Senior
Approved Services
It is obvious, when you think about it, that when a
spouse, parent, or other loved one is in need of
outside services that he or she has become less
independent. This lessening of independence also
affects, on many levels, the lives of each the other
spouse, the adult children, and the friends and family
members of this person.
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Loss, Bereavment and Beyond
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Written by Rebecca Allgeier, LISW
Loss is part of everyone's life. As we age, will likely
experience even more losses. These might include the
death of a friend, divorce, ending of a professional
career, life changing illness, financial problems or
relocating to a new city.
Despite complex issues that will affect all of us one
way or another, we often have difficulty navigating
through these challenges and supporting others in
these situations. This article offers guidance on coping
with the ups and downs of grief and discovering ways
to find personal meaning and growth through loss.
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Memory Special Report: Transitioning to a Residential Facility
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Johns Hopkins Health Alerts
How do you know when the time has come to move
your loved one with Alzheimer's from the home setting
to a long-term care facility? Dr. Peter V Rabins, medical
editor of the Johns Hopkins Memory Bulletin, offers this
advice.
If you are a caregiver struggling with the question of
when to place your loved one with Alzheimer's in a
residential care facility, the questions you're likely to
ask are numerous, complex, and fraught with emotion.
How long should I hold out? Can I afford a decent
facility? What options do I have? How can I possibly get
my loved one to understand this decision? These and
a hundred other questions are as difficult as they are
vital.
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U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
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For an overall health check site, Healthfinder.gov is a
good place to go.
It's billed as "Your Guide to Reliable Health
Information, sponsored by the Office of Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion."
The site offers prevention and wellness information, a
drug interaction checker, health organizations, health
news, newsletters, consumer guides and online
checkups. The drug interactin checker is especially
helpful, I think.
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