Tag: caregivers

Making Adjustments: A Holiday Necessity

As November draws to a close, it looks like we are actually going to make it through 2020—no small feat as we consider the events of the year that has been. But of course, what remains is the hurdle of “The Holidays” and everything that brings, both positive and negative. On the positive side, we…
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Active Imagination or Real Problem?

Dementia is not a disorder which has a sudden onset. Our loved ones don’t just spontaneously begin exhibiting symptoms of memory loss or personality changes. Instead it begins slowly, so gradually as to hardly be noticed until eventually the would-be caregiver realizes there is a mountain of evidence that can no longer be ignored. Case…
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Humor: The Caregiver’s Best Medicine

Charles Dickens said, “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” The problem is there’s nothing even remotely funny about providing care for a loved one with dementia. Most caregivers would agree that all things humorous faded out with their loved one’s memories…or did they? My own experience might…
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Can a Counselor Help?

Nothing, but nothing, takes the place of personally experiencing the emotional trauma of caring for a loved one. Well-seasoned caregivers find they are always on duty, but more often than not, the necessary emotional rest and refill is oddly lacking. The essential replenishment of what caregivers pour out can be achieved in several ways, but…
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COVID’s Clear Confusion

There are 24 hours in a day, and a single news cycle runs through all 24 of them non-stop. Not hard to guess what they’re talking about these days. COVID-19 has literally dominated the airwaves; there have been thousands of stories covering every conceivable aspect of that virus: Who’s got it? What’s anybody doing about…
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Mom Knew All Along

You know what Mom always said: “Wash your hands!” Most of us grew up on that phrase. Before meals and after using the restroom Mom (or grandmother or aunt or mom’s friend or the lady in the cafeteria at school) would always admonish us to wash our hands. And it was always a bother, particularly…
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Burned Out Socialite?

I see a number of posts on social media which ask people to be patient with caregivers—and rightly so; the caregiving job is isolating and wearisome. There are many diseases which necessitate the presence of a full-time caregiver, and the role lays claim to the caregiver’s time and energy. Frequently the caregiver’s own needs are…
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Listening = Best Care

I recently made a Twitter post in which I respectfully petitioned medical professionals to resist the temptation to dismiss patient information when it comes from a caregiver. It clearly struck a chord as it was re-tweeted 77 times, received more than 230 likes, and had multiple comments which affirmed my statement. As a caregiver, I…
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Improv – Alzheimer’s Style

People don’t enter the role of caregiver with a full understanding of what actually comes with a dementia diagnosis. When I had to step into that position with my grandparents it was because the bottom had suddenly fallen out. I’d known for some time that something wasn’t right, but at 29 I had no idea…
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Necessary Risk?

Today’s pace of life is moving faster than ever, but as caregivers it’s imperative that we stay current regarding which medical procedures are truly beneficial for our loved ones and which ones aren’t. In my book Goodnight, Sweet: A Caregiver’s Long Goodbye, I detailed my grandmother’s 1997 experience having a P.E.G. tube (Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastronomy—a plastic…
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