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Caregivers Need Good Rx Info

One of the best things about being a caregiver blogger is our readers.  We get so much good information and feedback from all of you.  This is the time of year to pause and say:  Many thanks to you all!  We wish you and your loved ones all the best in the coming year.

Here’s just one good example of what I am talking about.  Recently Jason sent us a link to RxFind, a very comprehensive list of prescriptions drugs, drug interactions, side effects and whatever you want to know about your medicines and those of your aging parent.  In fact, they bill themselves as the “World’s Biggest Drug Database.”  I found the site convenient, informative and easy to use.  Click the hyperlink above and check it out yourself. Social Bookmarking

Technorati …

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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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