Supporting all who care for elders
They had planned well for Annie’s 100th birthday. Her sister and nieces had flown in from the other end of the country. The table looked festive with balloons and a table centre resembling fireworks. They’d ordered a chocolate cake (her favourite) big enough to feed the entire dining room. Everyone was poised to sing. They […]
On the Fifth Day of Christmas, Dementia Gave to Me… Read More »
The whole song leaves me wondering. Partridges are small for eating, pear trees are dormant in winter and as for the leaping lords and milking maids…forget it. (The five golden rings have possibilities, but I got a golden engagement ring in March and a golden wedding band in September, so I’m good for rings as
On the First Day of Christmas, Dementia Gave To Me… Read More »
The year after my husband died, I asked to make Christmas dinner. My sister-in-law and I went year-about with Christmas, and it was her turn. My coping mechanism, for the first few months, entailed keeping myself so busy, I didn’t have a lot of time to think. I worked full-time, made all the preparations for
The One Where Christmas Happened Without You And We Found A Way Read More »
The answer to today’s Wordle puzzle was “ninja.” Immediately, tears pricked my eyes and a thousand memories flooded my brain. I miss my favourite ninja. You may have read about the passing of my lovely niece, Jenn, this last August. https://smallmiracles.online/the-not-so-small-miracle-of-jenn-a-life-well-lived/ As a marathon runner, she would get up before sunrise during Manitoba winters to
The One Where We Lost Someone, And Christmas Came Anyway Read More »
Do you remember the excitement when the Eaton’s catalogue used to arrive? I could ask for one present. I’d always receive more than that, and my stocking contained all kinds of small treasures, but the one I asked for would be the “desire of my heart” present. The thing I couldn’t live without (or so
The Value of Good Choices in Your Elder’s Journey Read More »
Everyone in the family knew that Grandpa couldn’t hear well. The television roared when he listened to it, and the radio sounded at levels that rivalled his teenage grandchildren. In conversation, he growled about family members “muttering.” Why couldn’t anyone speak up these days? Conversations addressing the problem never went well. Grandpa would go off
How to Have Difficult Conversations With Your Elder Read More »
We’ve all done it. You’re calling one of your kids, and you run through the roll call of names, including the family dog. This is not that. This is when you sit beside your mother who walks with dementia, at a family event, give her a kiss and say, “Hi, Mom. How are you doing?”
How to Cope When Your Elder Forgets Your Name Read More »
I can’t remember what I had for sale. That’s not important to the story. I posted it on Facebook, saying that my price was firm because I would be using the money to put toward a recumbent bike for my niece. She had what we thought was Parkinson’s, and couldn’t safely walk outside, but this
How Your Caregiver Journey Can Flourish With Excellent Support Read More »
My shoulder is killing me. Tylenol is starting to dull the ache and make it use-able, but my mind is going in 100 anxious directions. As someone with a hip and knee replacement (and the other hip probably pending) I wonder absently how many parts you can replace. Should I look into physio? What about
Important: After research comes action! Read More »
We turned a corner and giant metal flowers caught my eye. I also spied statues of people, but we were caught in the flow of traffic, and although I craned my neck, I saw only enough to know I wanted to return. We did, that night, and I experienced a piece of Ottawa which touched
If Dementia Had a Park, What Would it Look Like? Read More »