Inside Aging Parent Care

The Caregiver Desperation Scale©

By Carol June 29th, 2010

Not long ago, after we got home from taking my very thin and frail father to one of his medical appointments, Bill postponed our customary debriefing session to take a quick trip to the Safeway for ice cream. Of course it was chocolate.

By the time he got home, I was wondering if we caregivers can get a rough idea of our own stress levels by noticing things like ice cream runs or the incidence of lost car keys. We tossed this idea around for awhile, and here is the result:

The Family Caregiver Desperation Scale ©

1. You have a feeling of optimism and a strong sense of resolve to make things better for your loved one. You do not recognize that these feelings have already placed you on the lowest level of …

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My Secret Weapon Against Stress

By Judi June 27th, 2010

I’m sure that the only way I could cope with the stress of balancing caregiving with work and family and having a life was to rely on Willie. He was terrific. He was always willing to step in and help if I asked. He would visit Mom with me without one complaint, and nursing homes are not among the most pleasant places to hang out.

On the days we had her over to the house for a visit, he would go with me to pick her up, he would help me transfer mom from car to wheelchair to the house, make her comfortable in the recliner and involve her in conversations, making sure she was comfortable and had whatever she wanted.

I tend to forget that for 2 years during the time I was …

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Aging Parent Caregiver Stress Reduction Methods

By Bill June 24th, 2010

Some tactics for dealing with caregiver stress:

Then there is:

When finished with these techniques, there is:

Weight Watchers

We are working on alternatives. Stayed tuned. Social Bookmarking

Technorati Tags: caregiver failure, caregiver humor, caregiver mental health, caregiver needs, caregiver stress, caregiving

Caregiver Stress: It Stresses Me Out if I Have to Think about Taking Care of Myself Too

By Carol June 22nd, 2010

What Do You Do To Manage Your Stress?

Gail Sheehy says to take at least an hour a day just for you. Rosalynn Carter suggests that support and education are paramount. At Evercare they place the emphasis on maintaining caregiver health as a top priority. And the National Family Caregivers Association underscores the necessity of reaching out for help.

All the experts agree—if you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t be the best caregiver for your loved one. Every desperate caregiver understands that this is good advice. The best. And very much easier said than done.

Every desperate caregiver also knows that taking time to think about her- or himself can be just one more chore on a long list of tasks— and closer to the bottom than the top of the list. …

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This is Father's Day

By Judi June 20th, 2010

This is a picture of Dad as a young man, heading off to war. He is so handsome in this picture. I think he looks like Ben Affleck in Pearl Harbor but Carol disagrees, she thinks Dad is much more handsome. When Dad looks at this picture, he doesn’t recognize himself.

Dad was in the 8th Regiment, 4th Infantry Division in the Rhineland Campaign. Prior to the war, he and his father taught pilot ground school classes in their home. During the war he handled a .30 caliber machine gun. Shrapnel took most of his upper thigh, he got a purple heart and he got to come home. He never really said too much about his war experience except to say that despite his flight training, the Army, in all their infinite wisdom, assigned …

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