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.
On Tuesday, May 30, the Carter Family announced that 95 year-old Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia. They go on to share “she continues to live happily at home with her husband…
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?
For years, Memorial Day weekend has always brought with it special celebrations. Growing up in northern Illinois, Memorial Day was the first time you could count on somewhat decent weather to be…
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?
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 life. I am best defined by the people who love me. My greatest joy has always…
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?
I loved this picture when I saw it and I remember well the challenges of raising a child while also holding down a full-time job. Not all that good at motherhood at the time, I am grateful to say …
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?
There is an upcoming program being planned for mid-June called INTEGRATE – A Faith & Mental Wellness Summit that I wanted you all to know about. I am intrigued by its concept and by the kinds …
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”?
I received the same Wall Street Journal article from two different caregivers this past week who felt the underlying message of a new book entitled Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories …
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?
Rebirth has been on my mind a lot lately as we come off of another reminder of Easter’s amazing promise for all of us. And there are signs of it everywhere. Friends are making plans to migrate b…
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?
If you have taken our Advocacy class, you already know about the 15th Century Japanese artform known as Kintsugi. I was introduced to the concept only recently as it was being used as a wa…
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?
In a recent Caregiver Self-Care workshop, we got into a discussion about compassion.
Is compassion an emotion? Is compassion a behavior? Is it only a feeling or does it require some actio…
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?
I am writing this post on Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day. Apparently in many parts of our great nation we use March 20th to celebrate and honor the late Fred Rogers. For any of us who raise…
UP FOR DISCUSSION … How Do Caregivers Plan Beyond the Moment?
I have been talking to a lot of caregivers this week about various topics, but I am taken by a common thread that worked its way into many of these conversations. Here are a few direct quo…
UP FOR DISCUSSION: Is Caregiving anything like waiting for migrating White Pelicans?
One of the many wonderful and breathtaking scenes anyone can enjoy for free here in Florida is the migration of the white pelicans north every year around this time. I first discovered the…
UP FOR DISCUSSION … Does having Purpose give you Hope?
I read a magazine article this morning about a middle-aged father of conjoined twins who left his homeland of Senegal to travel with them to London where he was given hope that the doctors …
UP FOR DISCUSSION … WHAT IS IN YOUR LOVE POTION?
I remember it like it was yesterday.
A fellow caregiver was commenting that she was finally coming into acceptance of her husband’s recent dementia diagnosis, and as is usually the case she…
UP FOR DISCUSSION WITH LOVE
If you are like me, you have probably heard this more than once – “if you have seen one case of dementia you have seen one case of dementia”!
No two people living with dementia today experience th…
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