Supporting all who care for elders
The wind is dancing among the trees and causing the waves to crash against the rocks. I inhale the earthy smell of the forest as I walk the dog, and wish I could bottle it. A bird swirls above the water and screams before it nosedives after a fish for breakfast. I sip my morning […]
The Care Partner’s Vacation Read More »
We gathered at the end of one shift for some and the beginning of another for others. We were care partners, a housekeeper, dietary partners, two nurses and an advocate. We gathered to grieve. Our neighbourhood had experienced three deaths in a week. If you don’t work with us, you might think this is common and
The Care Partner’s Grief Read More »
Meet Janice. She has a family; two teenagers and a twelve-year old, a husband who travels, so is not home for the day-to-day running of the house, and a mother who helps out with the kids. Mom is a young eighty who walks every day, reads the paper, is conversant in politics and plays a
Becoming a Care Partner Overnight Read More »
Today, I had to write an end-of-life notice for someone who is dear to me. I struggled, deleted, started over and re-wrote. This notice is an email we send when a resident has been declared end-of-life by their doctor. The purpose is to let people know, so they can visit and say good-bye. We tell
“Should we celebrate mom’s birthday? I don’t even know if she understands what it’s all about. Why go to all the trouble if it doesn’t mean anything to her?” The answer to the first question is a resounding YES! Here’s why: She will benefit The “Happy Birthday” song, presents and cake go back to our
Who Benefits When You Celebrate? Read More »
Millie’s family had just been through some horrendous months with her care. She was in heart failure, and it led to so many problems. Her legs swelled and leaked, her mood was all over the map, and she was seeing things that weren’t there. Sometimes she was short of breath and needed oxygen. She wasn’t
Dealing With Change Read More »
This is it. From the time you became a care partner, you knew this day would come. You thought about it logically, had difficult conversations, and made impossible decisions leading up to it. You knew it was coming. You saw the signs. But your heart refused to see what your head knew. Until today. Today,
What Does “Keep Comfortable” Mean? Read More »
Your loved one lives in a long-term care home of some kind. They have been stable medically for a while, and you are thrilled to see them involved in the life of the home. Then one day, it happens. They develop pneumonia that doesn’t respond to treatment or a condition that requires intravenous antibiotics. Perhaps the
5 Reasons Not to Send Your Elder to Hospital Read More »
In the morning, Ruby got up with the help of her care partner at the facility where she lived. In the dining room, she ate toast and eggs, drank her prune juice and the imperative cup of coffee. Mid-morning, her son and daughter-in-law came to visit. They took her for a walk in her wheelchair,
How to Fight Pneumonia in Elders–Treat or Retreat? Read More »
“If your heart were to stop beating as a result of heart attack, stroke, accident etc., would you like it restarted by the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation?” It seems like a no-brainer. Duh–yes. Obviously, I need my heart to be beating to live. So, yes. It’s not that simple. There are facts about CPR you may
If My Heart Stops Beating Read More »