Author: Andrea Hemphill

UP FOR DISCUSSION … Caregivers have a lot of things to worry about. What would happen if we spent some of that worry time focused instead on creating some magic? Going on an adventure? Putting color, and light, and play back into our every day?

Written by Andrea Hemphill on June 24, 2023. Posted in Senior Well-Being, The Caregiver's Pathway.

This week has been full of challenges, but as I was putting together our next Self-Care Workshop, I was also...

UP FOR DISCUSSION … June is National Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month! It is meant to be a time for continuing our education on a medical condition that most of us know little about.

Written by Andrea Hemphill on June 15, 2023. Posted in Senior Well-Being, The Caregiver's Pathway.

Until someone close to you has dementia, I have found there is little opportunity or reason to learn what a dementia...

UP FOR DISCUSSION … I was reminded this past week just how much of my life revolves around the internet. Can we be good caregivers without it? Keeping connectivity can sometimes be challenging … that is, until you find a really kind hero!

Written by Andrea Hemphill on June 10, 2023. Posted in Senior Well-Being, The Caregiver's Pathway.

I came home the other day to discover we were without internet. Whether because of the afternoon storms, a...

UP FOR DISCUSSION … Are you aware of the work done by the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers? Did you know this former First Lady has been an outspoken advocate for family caregivers since the mid-80’s? This past week the Carter Family announced that Rosalynn Carter is living with dementia.

Written by Andrea Hemphill on June 3, 2023. Posted in Senior Well-Being, The Caregiver's Pathway.

On Tuesday, May 30, the Carter Family announced that 95 year-old Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has...

UP FOR DISCUSSION … Do you have special plans with family and friends to celebrate this Memorial Day? Did you even realize it is Memorial Day weekend?

Written by Andrea Hemphill on May 27, 2023. Posted in Senior Well-Being, The Caregiver's Pathway.

For years, Memorial Day weekend has always brought with it special celebrations. Growing up in northern...

UP FOR DISCUSSION … Do you feel isolated at times? Have your caregiver responsibilities and loved one’s needs separated you from the people you used to see regularly?

Written by Andrea Hemphill on May 20, 2023. Posted in Senior Well-Being, The Caregiver's Pathway, Uncategorized.

My years of caregiving have clarified for me that God’s best gift has always been the people He has given to me in my...

UP FOR DISCUSSION … For all you caregivers out there who are also Moms – thank you for all you do! Am I the only one who believes that Motherhood was a great training ground for caregiving now? As a caregiver, do you know and appreciate your worth?

Written by Andrea Hemphill on May 13, 2023. Posted in Senior Well-Being, The Caregiver's Pathway, Uncategorized.

I loved this picture when I saw it and I remember well the challenges of raising a child while also holding down a...

UP FOR DISCUSSION … What roles do our faith, our mental wellness, and self-care play in making us better caregivers? Are all three somehow related?

Written by Andrea Hemphill on May 6, 2023. Posted in Senior Well-Being, The Caregiver's Pathway.

There is an upcoming program being planned for mid-June called INTEGRATE – A Faith & Mental Wellness Summit that...

UP FOR DISCUSSION … Does ‘caring for the caregivers’ include convincing ourselves that “dementia patients cannot recognize their own need for care – or the sacrifices (being) made by their caregivers”?

Written by Andrea Hemphill on April 29, 2023. Posted in Senior Well-Being, The Caregiver's Pathway.

I received the same Wall Street Journal article from two different caregivers this past week who felt the...

UP FOR DISCUSSION … Rebirth and Easter’s amazing promise of renewal – how do caregivers think about rebirth and renewal when things on the home front have not changed?

Written by Andrea Hemphill on April 19, 2023. Posted in Senior Well-Being, The Caregiver's Pathway.

Rebirth has been on my mind a lot lately as we come off of another reminder of Easter’s amazing promise for all of...

UP FOR DISCUSSION … It is difficult to be a caregiver without feeling broken sometimes. It is a challenging journey, but perhaps we need to celebrate rather than hide our brokenness. Do our scars make us more beautiful?

Written by Andrea Hemphill on April 5, 2023. Posted in Senior Well-Being, The Caregiver's Pathway.

If you have taken our Advocacy class, you already know about the 15th Century Japanese artform known as...

UP FOR DISCUSSION … In his book Here and Now, Henri Nouwen claims that “joy is the secret gift of compassion”. What is compassion, and how can it lead to joy?

Written by Andrea Hemphill on March 31, 2023. Posted in Senior Well-Being, The Caregiver's Pathway.

In a recent Caregiver Self-Care workshop, we got into a discussion about compassion. Is compassion an...

UP FOR DISCUSSION: Is Caregiving more than accepting what we cannot change? By embracing it, can we make our situation somehow better for everyone involved?

Written by Andrea Hemphill on March 22, 2023. Posted in Senior Well-Being, The Caregiver's Pathway.

I am writing this post on Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day. Apparently in many parts of our great nation we use...