Remember, you can’t do it all whether you are the caregiver or friend. Sometimes the best help may be a welcome visit that provides a temporary distraction.
Category: Caregiving
Help, my Mother-In-Law is moving in….
Remember, at the end of the day, we can only do what we can do to make a home a safe place for our loved one. My sister and I would tell each other all the time, “We’re doing the best we can, and so is Mama.”
Send in the Butterflies
The important thing here is to keep your loved one as active and social as possible while continuing to treat them with dignity and honor.
Caregiver awards
I recently came across a study that provides one of those sparks of joy and reason to celebrate while caregiving.
Happy. Happy? Holidays
According to the Hallmark and Norman Rockwell, the holiday season is a wonderful time filled with family, fun, and food. The reality is often quite different for those facing the challenges of caring for someone with dementia. Especially with the added burden of shopping, preparing, and all the extras that can go along with the…
Managing Medications
Does your loved one take medications? A lot of them? This post just might help make it a bit more manageable In my research for ‘all things dementia’, I came across an article by the Alzheimer’s Society , “Taking medications with dementia“, it offers tips about taking medications safely, practical tips to help you to…
Mama’s Visitor, the Welcome Stranger
I recognize the sound of her footsteps in the hallway. Is she going to visit me? She’s here! I have to try to open my eyes or she’ll think I’m asleep. “Hi Mama”, she says with a bright smile. I wish I could respond to her greeting. She’s placing her hand under my chin, and turning…
When Caregivers ask, “Are we there yet?” Its time for Respite Care
“Are we there yet?!” What parent hasn’t heard that question? For that matter, who hasn’t muttered it themselves when a project or task seems endlessly endless? Children usually can’t read maps and understand miles per hour, so the amount of time that trips and journeys take can seem like a mystery to them.
As caregivers, we are also unable to predict the length of our loved one’s journey. Even though our intent is to finish well, there will be times that our hands will sag, our eyes will droop and our soul will sigh. We will grow weary, become exhausted and experience frustration at the whole situation. At that point, we, just like the little children will lament, “Are we there yet?”, and “How much longer?”