Supporting all who care for elders
Hazel smiled, remembering the day she’d had a meltdown in her kitchen. Thank goodness she’d been alone. Her son had called with good news. The place they’d picked for her to live, their top choice of many, had called to say she’d been accepted and was on a waiting list. She knew the stark reality […]
The Big Move: What Is the Most Essential Ingredient? Read More »
After my husband died, my friends would often take me shopping with them. I’ve always hated shopping, but I needed companionship so I’d follow them around the stores like a lost puppy. On one of these excursions to a craft store, my friend went in search of what she needed and I wandered the aisles
“Not in Kansas Any More!” How to Find Your Way In A Move to Long-Term-Care Read More »
It was time. Hazel knew it and she felt sure her family knew it. No significant conversations about the topic had occurred, but her son had asked her to dinner tonight and the rest of the family would be there. Hazel had a sense she would be the topic of conversation. She knew her kids
Finding Your Way in a Move to Long-Term-Care Read More »
In my family, a conspiracy of silence existed when it came to me. A basic “don’t tell Ann anything” policy. I think the motivation came from an urge to protect, but it left gaps in my knowledge until adulthood. When I came home from school that day at nine and saw my mom and my
Did You Know You Have the Opportunity To Write History? Read More »
I always had a love-hate relationship with Twilight Zone. ( If you don’t know what I mean by that, you are too young to read this post.) A normal person or family, lived their normal life at the beginning of the show. You sat on the edge of your seat because you knew within a
How to Survive Isolation: Winning the Battle for your Sanity Read More »
All winter I watched it. The log on the side of the pathway had split from the freeze-thaw-freeze of our Canadian winters. Scarcely a centimetre wide, the split travelled the length of the log, and it looked like someone had stuck a twig in the crevice. Strangely drawn to the skinny, fragile twig, I checked
The Magic of Trees and Heroes Read More »
Are you going nuts yet? This question could probably legitimately be asked of every person on the planet. All of our emotions swerve over this rollercoaster of life each day. We are hopeful, then angry, frightened then grieving, sick and then improving–or not. We’ve gone beyond hoarding and wondering when this will be over to
My 5 Surprising Suggestions for Surviving the Pandemic Read More »
It began “over there.” My mental picture of China is busy markets and crowds of people. Most of them wearing masks. But I know people living in China, so I prayed for them and their safety. I lived my life while the storm rumbled in the background. At church, they cautioned us not to hug
Do You Know Your Word For This Year? Read More »
From the day he moved in, everyone knew three things about Harry. He loved plants, he had a killer smile, and he never went anywhere without his harmonica. Dementia had stolen his huge repertoire but he still retained six or seven songs he played from memory. While passing in the hall you would hear them
Did You Know Effective Music Can Make Magic? Read More »
The world grinds to a standstill. Roads remain empty, transit systems echo, churches provide online services only. Stores which are still open display hand sanitizers at every corner and mask-wearing customers lurk and disappear. Our present reality. Confined to quarters, staying home, forcing this virus to die the death of having no host. Isolated, we
Social Isolation, Elders and the Joy of Technology Read More »