|
Welcome!
Here is the latest edition of Caregiver.com's weekly
newsletter.
Please recommend this newsletter to any
other family or professional caregiver. It’s a great way to show how
much you care.
http://www.caregiver.com/recommend/
If you are receiving this issue as a forward,
and would like to get your own free subscription, visit:
http://www.caregiver.com/subscribe/subscribe_newsletter.htm
|
|
From The Editor |
 The
Time Is Now
When my dad became ill in 1990, I would come home to Miami to
visit almost every month. But it was not until returning
to Florida full-time in 1994 to help care for my
grandparents that I knew what a “black hole” my mom had
been living in during those past few years. She had
become nurse, insurance expert, medications manager and
social worker to first my dad, and then, her parents.
Each day created more opportunities for fear, stress and
depression.
We caregivers know a lot about fear and fearlessness. When a
disease or illness enters our lives, every day becomes a
struggle for the soul of our family. These battles are
waged in doctor’s offices, radiology waiting rooms and
midnight trips to hospital emergency rooms.
What’s more, we aren’t alone. The latest statistics state
that there are almost 54 million caregivers in the
country today. So what can you do? The same as
caregivers always do: stand up for the things your loved
one need from the healthcare system and become their
fearless advocate within it. Acknowledge when your loved
one is tired or unable to be around others for prolonged
periods of time. Know what support you need from your
friends and family and how to piecemeal out these
responsibilities and most important of all, take care of
yourself. Remember to communicate with your loved
one and your family members about your fears, as
tensions mount, fear can grow to a point where it chokes
your family’s ability to share feelings with one
another.
The world can all learn a lot from caregivers; we have been
at war with fear, grief and depression every single day
as we fight for our loved ones health and well-being. We
just need to remember to fight for our own health and
well-being, as well.
When it comes to being prepared to care, there is no time
like the present.
Happy New Year.
Dates
are still available for the 2005 Fearless
Caregiver Conference Tour. Bring a
conference to your community.
Contact us for more information.
The
deadline has been extended for the third annual
Caregiver Friendly Awards. The new deadline is
February 28, 2005.
Sincerely,
Gary Barg
Editor-in-Chief
gary@caregiver.com
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Nominate your CareHeroes for 2005 |
|
CareHeroes come in all shapes,
sizes and categories: family, volunteer, professional and community.
He or she may be the neighbor or family member who is always there
for you, the case manager who goes that extra mile, or the community
leader who has long-battled for caregivers, and maybe even for
yourself. We invite you to nominate your CareHeroes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Today's
Caregiver magazine Supports Your Conference |
 |
Non-profit organizations:
Contact us and we will provide complimentary
magazines for your
conference attendees.
All you pay is shipping and handling.
Don't miss this opportunity!
To sign up,
click here. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Feature Story |
|
A
Week With Grandma
by
Sherry Churchill
Sally was crying on the telephone!” exclaimed my bewildered
mother “I didn’t know what to say to her! I think she is exhausted from
taking care of mom and that makes her depressed!”
...Continued
|
Additional Article:
New Year's Resolution
While exercise is often
touted as a fountain of youth, it often gets harder to do as you get
older.
...Continued
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Caregiver Friendly Award deadline has
been extended to
February 28, 2005!
You still have time to enter the best of
your Caregiver Friendly solutions for
consideration and be part of a select group honored with Today’s Caregiver
magazine’s Caregiver Friendly Award. <<read
the details>>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Visit the
Caregiver.com Online Mall
Today at
http://www.caregiver.com/mall/index.htm |
|
|
Guest Column |
|
Caregivers New Year's Resolution
by Kristine Dwyer, LSW
In this new year, I will……….
Learn to take one hour out of each day just for myself to read,
enjoy a hot bath, journal my thoughts or call a friend.
...Continued
|
|
|
CareTips |
|
Top Ten Things For Caregivers To Start Doing
for the
Approaching New Year 2005
1. Keep records of all medications and reactions: make notes about what
works, what doesn’t and when you informed the physician of any problems....Continued |
|
|
From Our Readers |
|
Carenotes |
Hi,
As far back as I can remember, my
mom has suffered from severe anxiety
and depression. In addition to that,
she has exhibited signs of clear
paranoia... when I was five, up
until I was fourteen, every day, my
mother would tell me that some
"lady" would come into the house, at
night, and hurt her in some way. She
never saw the lady, she claimed, but
she would show me her swollen hands
or fingers, or some cuts and blame
the "lady". She was convinced
that it was the daughter of one of
our tenants, and she was also
convinced that my father was having
an affair with her, despite there
being no proof whatsoever. That is
why we moved from NJ to Florida; my
father simply couldn't take it
anymore.
Now, my father passed away a little
over a year ago, and I resigned from
my job and moved home to take care
of my mother and my mentally
disabled sister. Mom insists on
always locking the top and bottom
doors, she takes large amounts of
money with her whenever we leave the
house (in case someone tries to
break in to the house), sometimes
when she can't find something, she
thinks someone has taken it just to
make her think she is going crazy (
And I don't mean my sister or me).
When I get mad at her and tell her
that it is not possible for someone
to come into the house, she just
gets this knowing look on her face
and tells me she knows what is going
on.
I am no doctor, but is she paranoid
or paranoid schizophrenic? To
outsiders, she appears normal in
every aspect except that she worries
all the time and is pretty
high-strung. But she doesn't claim
to hear voices, she is coherent, she
knows right from wrong, yet she
thinks, truly believes, that
"someone" is responsible for her
troubles. She is 68 years old, in
excellent physical health, but I
don't know what to do anymore.
She was on Zoloft for a month or so
(due to her depression) but she
refused to take the anti-psychotic
(due to the risk of diabetes, in
addition to thinking there is
nothing wrong with her mentally). I
really need to know what to do,
where to take her, and how to go
about it. I am at the end of my
rope. I welcome any advice.
Thank you,
C
Answer This Week's CareNote:
carenotes/2004/index.htm |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Caregiver.com Support Group Directory is back. Click
here for
information about any caregiver support groups in your area.
Caregivers need your help. Please add information about your local support groups to our
Support Group
Directory.
Include the name of the group, where and when it meets, city and state and
support group leader contact information. |
|
|
If there are articles you'd like to
read and haven't seen, send us your ideas at:
editor@caregiver.com
Have an idea for an article? We are
always looking for contributing writers. For more information contact
nancy@caregiver.com
Recommend Us
Tell your friends
about Caregiver.com!
If you have a friend who you think would
benefit from our newsletter, complete and submit the form:
http://www.caregiver.com/recommend
Subscription
Information
If you received this newsletter and are not yet
a subscriber, and would like to begin receiving a copy of your own,
please visit our site -
http://www.caregiver.com/subscribe/subscribe_newsletter.htm
- type in your email address and click on [subscribe] in the
e-newsletter box. Subscription is free.
Unsubscribe
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, simply
reply to this email with the word "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject line.
Privacy Policy
Privacy Statement http://www.caregiver.com/privacy/index.htm
|
|
|
Copyright © 1995-2004
Caregiver.com Inc., All rights
reserved.
All rights reserved by Caregiver.com and its subsidiaries.
|
|
|
|
