Minding Our Elders®

Marking Our Journey: The Importance of Ceremony During Life Stages and Beyond

Birth, graduations, marriage, anniversaries, death - important moments in our lives are often celebrated by some type of ceremony. In our middle to late years, we are often encouraged to plan the type of funeral we'd like, even pre-paying so our loved ones won't have to juggle business and grief. Everyone has different ideas about when a ceremony is appropriate, however I've learned about a new ceremony that I find very appealing. 

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Caregivers and Multi-tasking: Holidays Can Push People Caring for Elderly Parents to the Max

If one can believe the old Westerns, frontier women multitasked by rocking a cradle with their foot to quiet a squalling baby, while pounding out bread dough with her fists, bossing a full crew young kids and maybe dodging a few bullets. Oh, yeah, since it was just days before Christmas, she would also be trying to knit a scarf for her husband during odd bits of time. That scenario sounds like a walk in the park to some modern caregivers, especially those known as the sandwich generation

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Trial & Heirs: How Famous Fortune Fights Affect the Rest of Us

When I received a complimentary copy of Trial & Heirs: Famous Fortune Fights, I was skeptical. I'm not a tabloid fan and haven't paid much attention to celebrity fortune battles. I looked at the cover with amusement - catchy and colorful, I thought. That will grab a browser's eye. So will the title.

What surprised me, was when I flipped through the book, I realized there was so much more than flash. This book is packed with information for readers who just want to know if they can get a cheap will from an online source or not. It's for people who don't have millions, but want what they have to go to the right people with the least amount of hassle.

Because I repeatedly hear sad stories from adult children who have parents with dementia, I push people to get their legal work done. Leaving your family with a mess like this isn't loving. Not being a person with tons of assets to leave, I have not investigated many options other than the basics: A Power Of Attorney, a Health Directive (POA for health) and a will. This book has opened my eyes.

It's so well written and fun that even a person like me, who hates money talk, can enjoy it. And anyone reading it will learn a great deal. Trial and Heirs, written by Danielle B. Mayoras, Estate Planning Attorney, and Andrew W. Mayoras, Probate Attorney, is a good read and great education. The book is available online and in bookstores. Their Web site is www.trialAndHeirs.com.

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Personal Alarms Offer Indepence for Seniors and Assurance for Families

Dear Carol: My dad still lives in his own home and does quite well. However, I find myself continually worrying about him falling or something else happening. He says he doesn’t want to move to assisted living, but I want him safe. What do I do? Ginny

Dear Ginny: If your dad is doing well, why not give him more time? You can tour assisted living centers meanwhile, with an eye toward the future. An idea for now would be a compromise. Tell him you won’t nag about assisted living if

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Medpedia Project Expanding Scope

The fairly new site at www.medpedia.com keeps growing. I'm impressed with the number of health experts and the amount of information on this wiki site. It's well worth checking out. Many blogs are fed in including Minding Our Elders.

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Thanksgiving and Alzheimer's Disease? Watch This Video

If you are looking for a Christmas present for someone who loves a person with Alzheimer's disease or works with people with dementia, watch this video. It's a clue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHQfc3KJ9qE

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers.

Carol

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Caregivers Need to Maintain Their Social Life

Sometimes it's just easier to stay home. I'll admit I have these thoughts more often than most people, as I don't have a very social personality. However, when it comes to caregivers, it's often undeniably true - it easier to stay home. When you are caring for someone, whether it's in your home or getting help from assisted living or a nursing home, going out either by yourself or with your loved one can be stressful.

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“Walking You Home” Program Underscores Dignity of Life Cycle

Dear Readers:  I received in the mail my monthly newsletter from Rosewood on Broadway. As I read Staci Kouba’s article on the Walking You Home program, warm tears washed the late day fog from my eyes.

 

During the death process,

 

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Two Parents with Dementia: How Do We Cope?

My mom and dad both have dementia. I am all alone taking care of them since my sister passed away I have no one to help me. I get sad and frustrated with them both. How do I deal with my feelings?

These are powerful words from one Agingcare.com forum participant. It’s a “cry from the wild” which will touch the heart of most caregivers. Many of us feel alone when we are trying to care for our aging parents and there are no siblings to help, or if there are siblings, they can’t or won’t help. When we have one parent who has dementia, it is hard. When we have two, it is often nearly unbearable.

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Help Yourself Avoid Holiday Depression By Allowing Guilt Free Imperfection

The holiday season is upon us. How on earth, as we care for elders with dementia, children of many ages with great expectations, multiple housing arrangements and the outside pressures of holiday "cheer," do we cope? My parents were, at one time, great celebrators of Christmas. My kids loved going to their home for Christmas Eve. After Dad's brain surgery ended with him deep into dementia, we had to spread our time out, as Dad was in a nursing home, totally changed, and Mom was still in her apartment. During that time,

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