Like many people I no longer commit to a New Year's resolution. Instead I pick a touchstone word for the year. Sometimes it is based on how I hope the year will go and sometimes it is based on anticipating what is coming. I’m in the anticipation mode this year and the word is ‘Embrace.’ The dictionary defines embrace as: ‘To accept or support (a belief, theory, or change) … [Read more...]
I never promised mom… Then why do I feel so guilty?
When your head knows it’s the right decision, but your heart is breaking. One of my promises to myself when I became mom’s caregiver is that I would never promise her anything unless I was 100% sure I could deliver. It is why I never promised her I could always keep her in our family home. My expectation was that at some point she would need to be in a wheelchair and, given … [Read more...]
Hospital at Home. What is it and how does it work?
For family caregivers, the devil is in the details. The Hospital at Home model has been around since 1995, but in the time of COVID, it is gaining traction. Hospital at Home gives acute care that would normally be given in a hospital to patients in their homes. Generally, it includes intravenous therapy (mainly antibiotics), anticoagulation, wound care and chemotherapy … [Read more...]
Caregiving, You Choose It Time and Time Again
Recently I presented at the Care Years Training Academy's, "The Caring Conference: Our Courageous Acts." When I started to think about caregiving and courageous acts, I struggled with deciding if I would submit a proposal. It felt like a courageous act needed to be something big, even momentous. Then I realized caregiving is a series of courageous acts because every time … [Read more...]
It Takes Courage To Help Someone Let Go.
Letting go is a process that begins long before someone passes. So often when we talk of someone “letting go” we are talking about their dying. But there are many stages that our seniors and family caregivers go through before this final one. It takes courage on the part of your elder and yourself to be honest about when it is time to change a life plan. It is hard and … [Read more...]