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At the End of Caregiving

For every caregiver, the day will arrive when caregiving comes to an end.  Most of us can’t know when that day will come. Because of this, caregiving often seems endless, but it is not.

Some of us are able to accept that the end is coming sooner or later. The couple in this video are planning for the time when he will be gone, and she will be alone.  Senior co-housing is one option for companionship and support for the spouse that is left behind.

Weighing the Options from Our Future Selves on Vimeo.

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Technorati Tags: afraid, aging in place, Brave Old World, caregiver mental health, caregiver needs, caregiver stress, co-housing, coping with death, Elder Spirit, end of life, end of life decisions, family caregiver, pain of caregiving, Paula Span. Columbia University School of Journalism

Sisterhood and Brain Health for Recovering Caregivers

Once we got our new iPad email working and used the Photo Booth app to take some funny pictures of ourselves, we wondered what to do next with our intriguing Little Buddy.  The problem is not a scarcity of possibilities.  According to official Apple sources, there are over 140,000 iPad apps available—many of them free.  Too many to sort through on our own.

No problem.  Sister Judi–an iPhone owner and aficionado—to the rescue.  She undertook to coach me in advanced techniques of using the “Home” button and also suggested a few challenging and enlightening apps.  High on our list are Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja.  I also learned that she is the creator of her own app—Smart Tot Rattle!

Her next move was to challenge me to a game of Words with Friends.

I’m …

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The iPad and I

Tempted to Take a Byte of the Apple

One day in early November, I woke up knowing that I had to have an iPad.  And I had to have it right away.  Over the years Bill and I have had several opportunities to make a change from our somewhat trusty PC to the other camp.  Each time we decided against the switch due to impatience with the idea of learning a new system as well as considerations of economy.  We’ve always been able to do whatever we wanted with our PCs.  Why fix what ain’t broke, right?

Now several factors converged to influence a different decision.  Bill does not enjoy using our laptop, but didn’t always want to fire up the big computer in our downstairs office.  I had read Marti Weston’s reports …

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Caregiving and Cleaning the Oven

The house still smells slightly of smoke this morning.  Bill and I were in the middle of paying bills yesterday when we decided to clean the oven.  I’m not sure why.  Maybe anything seemed preferable to tackling this month’s especially complicated credit card statement.

First there was an intensive search for the stove’s Use and Care Manual.  It seemed only to be expected that I could locate all the literature on every large appliance we own except the stove.  Eventually, after Bill found the stove’s model number, we tracked down the manual on line and printed it out.  The instructions were deceptively simple—close the door, push the “clean” button, set the time and the stove does all the rest.

Bill grabbed the oven shelves while I emptied the warming drawer and wiped out the …

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Mark Your Calendar for the AARP Family Caregiver Forum

Here is the link to sign on to the webcast on Dec 1 http://meta.media.qualitytech.com/m/wm/wlj-01/COMP008760SCH1_AARP_Caregiving_Forum.wvx    And here is a link to the current website describing the event http://www.aarp.org/relationships/caregiving/info-11-2011/Solutions-ForumThe-Challenges-of-Family-Caregiving-What-Needs-To-Be-Done.html  This is an important event for all caregivers who can participate.

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The Challenges of Family Caregiving: What Needs to Be Done?

9:00 AM-Noon

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Connect Via Live Webcast

Prominent authors and experts discuss the difficulties faced by millions of family caregivers coping with our health and long-term services and supports (LTSS) systems. They will explore how public policies can more effectively address the needs of caregivers and provide insight on how health care professionals can improve support for family caregivers.  Audience participation is encouraged.

Speakers:

Susan Dentzer, Editor-in-Chief, Health Affairs (Moderator)

Susan Reinhard, RN, Ph.D., FAAN; …

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