Supporting all who care for elders
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 »
My mother-in-law had a secret recipe for plum pudding. Every Christmas it would be served with a choice of hard sauce or rum sauce, and my husband loved it. I wasn’t a fan, but understood that it remained a family favourite. My sister-in-law begged her mother for the recipe, but the reply always came that
My Secret Recipe For Successful Elderhood Read More »
New Year’s resolutions set me up for failure. I shudder at the number of times I made concrete plans to lose weight, exercise daily, declutter and any number of other wholesome activities, only to fail a few days later. I hate New Year’s resolutions and you can’t force me to make any! (Cue foot stamping…)
Why I Hate Resolutions and My Easy, Non-resolution Ideas Read More »
Curiosity overcame me. My desk sat across the hall from this resident’s room, and it sounded like a party in there. She was new and had moved from the community, so I didn’t know a lot about her. I’d met her three daughters, who seemed lovely and supportive, and Mom smiled every time I went
Important Lessons From a Party and Heartfelt Gifts for Family Caregivers Read More »
Superman, move over. Wonder Woman, hand over your cape. There’s another group of heroes in town, and no matter how many times you’ve saved the nation, they deserve it more. Family members of elders. Of course, they are care partners, although they may not feel like it if their elder lives in a care situation
How Families of Elders Struggle and Become Superheroes 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 »
