Supporting all who care for elders
“No.” All her life, Maggie had been in the middle of everything. A little raucous and “off the wall,” irreverent and fun, full of life. But life had almost drained from her, and as a widow, blind and in a wheelchair, she didn’t bubble as she used to. She barely simmered most days. So when […]
How to Find Variety in Community For Your Elder Read More »
We sat on our swing on the deck. At mid-afternoon it looked like dusk. Our solar lights sprung to life and an eerie stillness descended. We wore our special glasses and watched with awe as the eclipse of 2024 slipped across the sky. As awed as I was by the whole event, something else struck
How Loneliness and Isolation Are Toxic for Elders 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 »
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 »
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 »
“Oh you idiot!” I would never say those words to anyone. Cruel, cutting and attacking character rather than the situation, they are totally unacceptable. Except I said them yesterday. To myself. We are visiting my daughter and her family and living between their home and a motel. Returning to the motel last night, I realized
Practical ways for caregivers to tame the monster in your head Read More »
It was time to say good-bye. The activation students had been with us two days a week for several months and on their last day, we took them out to lunch. These two young men had grown, matured and learned so much over the weeks. As we chatted together, my supervisor asked them, “What was the
How Betty Showed a Young Man How To Care Read More »
Just because “receiving gifts” is last on my list of love languages doesn’t mean I don’t like them! More than any other love language, this illustrates how they mesh together and depend on each other. If your main gift is quality time, a gift has more meaning when time and thought went into
The Love Language of “Receiving Gifts” Makes a Gift More Than a Gift Read More »
Who doesn’t appreciate a huge bouquet of flowers? Me. That’s not exactly true. I appreciated that the person who gave them spent a lot of money, and wanted to make me feel special on my birthday. I thanked them profusely, and they had no idea that their gift didn’t
How to Speak Words of Affirmation to Reach Your Elder’s Soul Read More »
We came together to celebrate my Dad’s birthday and to spend a few precious moments before my parents went to visit my sister and her family out west for a few weeks. My husband and I, my parents and my two little girls visited over a meal, and of course, cake. I
How to Find Creative Ways to Give Quality Time Read More »