Supporting all who care for elders
“What happens in knitting group stays in knitting group.” Seriously? What crimes could possibly be committed in knitting group? Perhaps not crimes, but lots of interesting stories and long held secrets emerged while needles clacked. What? I can’t tell, because, what happens in knitting group… Last week we looked at the benefits of creativity for […]
Finding Creativity for Your Elder in Unexpected Places Read More »
Barbara had a bad attitude her entire life, and it didn’t improve when she struggled with dementia. Snarky, sometimes mean, but also needy and wanting all the attention all the time, she’d always looked after herself. Now she couldn’t, and she wasn’t gracious about it. Even her dementia didn’t stop her from making snide remarks
How Creativity Opens New Worlds for Elders with Dementia Read More »
“Exercise and fun shouldn’t be used in the same sentence.” I said and believed that for years, and I sometimes feel skeptical even yet, but I’ve found ways to make even the most boring leg lifts more fun. (Okay, somewhat, a little fun. Endurable.) What is exercise? This feels like a “stating the obvious” question,
Can Exercise Be Fun? Here Are Some Tricks and Tips Read More »
Back in our “poverty days,” which seemed to last for years, we had no dental insurance for a period of time while my husband changed jobs. As soon as we had coverage again, I got the kids to the dentist, but didn’t go myself. My internal dialogue ran like this: “I’ve gone this long without
One Key to Success With Exercise and My Secret Inspiration 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 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 »
My dad asked me to take mom shopping. They planned a road trip out west to visit my sister and family, and mom needed new camisoles. He’d become a reluctant caregiver when she developed Alzheimer’s, but that kind of shopping gave him chills. I looked forward to a fun time with mom, who loved to
How do I navigate the struggle to find good care? Read More »
This time of year I work hard on my mental health. In spring, everything is bursting with life and the promise of so much fun in the garden. In the summer, family visits and new adventures abound, and I usually get to go fishing. And although the colours this time of year stun and amaze me,
How to Recognize the Plague of Caregiver Stress Before it Kills You Read More »
Vera sat in the easy chair in her room and allowed her mind to wander to the many times she’d felt she had no control of her life. Even when her physical body could bounce back, she’d struggled emotionally with the feeling before. Her mind took her back to when her first husband left her
Has Our Solution to Hospital Overcrowding Created Painful Loneliness for Elders? Read More »
