Recent Posts
Walking in a Sculpture Garden
Sitting in a waiting room, no matter how well we are prepared is very tiring, so I decided to take a walk around the campus of the Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California, while my husband was seeing his doctor. The abundance of art is everywhere, and I marveled at the beauty unfolding before my eyes. The time passed very quickly, and we both left the campus feeling energized and relieved!
Keeping Them Home
Once known as Armistice Day, today it is known as Veterans Day.
Armistice Day commemorates the peace agreement signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany when The Great War officially ended. This was to be the war to end all wars, but we know that wasn’t to be true. In honor of all veterans, the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1945. A clear distinction is made: Veterans Day “is not a day that 'belongs' to veterans, it is a day for honoring all veterans." To all of you who have served, we offer our heartfelt thanks. Your sacrifices made and continue the make a difference in our lives. Serving a loved one as a care partner also has a special day. Caregivers Day is the third Friday in February, but I didn’t want to wait until then to share Sean Hayes’ story.
Please VOTE
The nameless and the known;
My palace is the people’s hall,
The ballot-box, my throne!
–John Greenleaf Whittier, American poet (1807–1892)
Be Care Curious – What Does that Mean? November is National Family Caregivers Month
When I taught elementary school, we held child study team meetings, inviting all the stakeholders (professionals and family members) for every student who demonstrated a need for more interventive care, followed with an Individualized Educational Program (IEP). Periodically, as per the goals set in the IEP, meetings were scheduled to determine the efficacy of the program. As care partners, we may realize that more interventive care is needed, and all the stakeholders must be invited and informed.
Be Care Curious gathers all the stakeholders in the shared care of a loved one for a personal IEP – Individualized Empowerment Program. I made that up, but this shared approach is empowering for every stakeholder, just like the stakeholders who keep a tent habitable – you need all the stakes, or you might be sleeping under the stars!
What do I have in common with their conversation?
Sometimes, I feel alone, despite being surrounded by people.
It’s possible that when we are caring for someone, we neglect our own needs in deference to theirs. This is a wonderful altruistic goal, but it can leave damaging effects. Without realizing it, we may sink into depression, a common complaint among many care partners. If it is just easier to stay at home, realize that it’s not healthier, in fact, loneliness may have the same detrimental effects as a chronic disease.
Lee McConaughy knew in that instant, that her life would never be the same again.
Sometimes, more help is needed but who can we turn to? This is an amazing resource.
The Family Caregiving Alliance, https://www.caregiver.org/offers a wealth of support.
By selecting https://www.caregiver.org/family-care-navigator, you will find State-by-State Help for Family Caregivers at your fingertips.
“Our Family Care Navigator helps family caregivers locate public, nonprofit, and private programs and services nearest their loved one—living at home or in a residential facility. Resources include government health and disability programs, legal resources, disease-specific organizations and more.”
Are we lost? That is a camel, right, but aren’t we at the Great Wall in China? Yes, actually we are.
Visiting China in 2013, we saw this image in the parking lot after we finished our tour of the Great Wall. It’s a Bactrian Camel with two humps that look like the letter B, not a Dromedary with one hump that looks like a D. It made me think of BD – Best Days - for hiring an activity partner or a home care health aide.
Rip off the paper! Rip off the covers! Show us your . . . what???
I’m talking about your smile! It’s funny that just smiling makes us feel better even when we feel that there is nothing to smile about. A smile spreads happiness from the inside out. Rip off the paper! Rip off the covers and showcase your smile. The smiley face symbol began in 1963 when Harvey Ross Ball, (1921-2001) a commercial artist, designed an image to increase morale in the workplace. His altruistic goal was to bring kindness to our lives, and this continues to be a symbol of goodwill worldwide.
Making is an Act of Remembering
The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is on Sunday morning, November 3, 2019. They have been so kind in providing a booth for me to donate the Bust Buddies that we have been knitting throughout the year. My goal is to knit one pair per month, but my dear friend Terri Miles, knits one pair per week! Awesome! What are Bust Buddies? They are hand-knitted prosthetics for women who have undergone a mastectomy. Filled with polyester fiberfill, they are tucked in a bra to fill out the missing part.
Healing the Heart with Art
Immerse Yourself in Something New by Eileen Adler
On the anniversary of my father’s passing, I always try to do something special. The first year I had my first colonoscopy; I won’t bore you with the details, but things improved after that. Today I decided to learn more about a favorite glass blowing artist, Dale Chihuly born on this day in 1941. I first saw his glass sculpture at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas while waiting at the registration desk, looking up at the most beautiful garden one could imagine. The glass installation weighs over four thousand pounds and showcases more than two thousand flowers.