How to AdviceFor Family Caregivers of Senior CitizensAnd More

Stay Cool - Protect Yourself From Overheating

2005-07-06T03:12:00.000-07:00

We’re experiencing a heat wave, and it’s not just in Cleveland. Nearly every person I’ve spoken to from California to Massachusetts has told me how unusually hot these past few weeks have been. Seniors, the elderly and small children are susceptible to overheating and this can cause some serious health problems.

Those with a history of stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease and respiratory disease need to take special care. However, overheating can happen to any one if you’re not careful. Pay attention to the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Some symptoms are: heavy sweating, pale or clammy skin, fainting, and vomiting. A heat stroke is a true medical emergency. A delay in treatment can be fatal. If you know someone who is elderly or fragile, check on him or her to make sure they stay cool. The elderly are much more likely to suffer from heat related illnesses.

If a person becomes dehydrated and cannot sweat enough to cool their body, their internal temperature may rise to dangerously high levels, causing heat stroke. Are your feet and hands swelling? Heat edema is swelling of the hands and feet when blood vessels expand and allow fluid to pool under the skin. Is your skin itchy? Prickly heat is an irritating rash that is caused by a blockage of the sweat pores, usually under clothing. Your sweat is your body's main system for getting rid of extra heat.

As long as blood is flowing properly to your skin, extra heat from the core of your body is "pumped" to the skin and removed by sweat evaporation. If you do not sweat enough, you cannot get rid of extra heat well. If you have poor circulation it is also difficult to stay cool because your body can't get rid of heat as well if blood is not flowing to the skin. Dehydration will make it harder for you to cool off in two ways: if you are dehydrated you won't sweat as much, and your body will try to keep blood away from the skin to keep your blood pressure at the right level in the core of your body.

But, since you lose water when you sweat, you must make up that water to keep from becoming dehydrated. If the air is humid, it's harder for your sweat to evaporate -- this means that your body cannot get rid of extra heat as well when it's muggy as it can when it's relatively dry. Other precautions to consider include:

Increase your intake of water – avoid alcoholic, carbonated, sugar and caffeine drinks. This may sound crazy – avoid ice cold drinks. When your tummy receives fluid that is ice cold, your internal body temperature must rise in order to compensate – leading to further internal heat
An old farmers’ trick (you learn this quickly if you’ve ever helped to bail hay in August) Wet a bandana (or scarf) and put it in the freezer. Wrap this around your neck, once the fabric is thawed, wrap the cool scarf around your forehead. My grandma use to have a large wrap that she would position around her bust line. (Bailing hay is a family event :))
Wear clothing that is light in color and loose fitting (let your skin breathe)
Avoid outdoor activity during the afternoon hours
Eat less protein and more fruits and vegetables (proteins increase your metabolism which heats you up inside) this leads to further water loss. The fruits and vegetables will add minerals, water, and salts that you are loosing in your sweat.
Treat yourself to a cool bath

If you don’t have air-conditioning, stay in the lowest section of your home if possible. Keep in mind, heat rises. If you have window fans, set the fan to pull hot air out of your home, rather than pulling more hot air in from the outdoors. Seniors living without air conditioning may want to consider spending the hottest part of the day where relief from the heat can be found. Senior centers, the mall, libraries, churches and museums are all (almost always) air-conditioned.

PSYCHIATRIC STAFF ABUSE OF INNOCENT CHILDREN AND ADULT PATIENTS

2005-06-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

In 1999 the General Accounting Office (Washington, D.C.) investigated, the multitude of documented patient's deaths, within American psychiatric hospitals. This at the request of U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman, and others. This as a result of the public outcry, concerning the death of a 12 year old boy, on a psychward in Connecticut. An innocent child was tortured, and allowed to die, while psychiatric staff failed to act. Staff attempted to coverup the evidence of the crime.

The GAO found that the deaths of chidren, and adult "mental" patients was found due to neglect, staff abuse, cruel application of restraints, etc. The GAO wrote a comprehensive report which stated specifically that these deaths, documented to being over 200 per year, were due to staff hostility toward patients. That in fact staff overreacted, in crisis situations, due to the demeaning labels (called "diagnoses of the DSM") placed upon patients. Labels that translate to permanent stigma, and shame.

In addition the GAO determined that, there were efforts by professional mental health staff, to cover up these deaths, by methods such as falsifying death records, etc. The GAO determined that the disparaging labels (diagnoses) used by "mental health" professionals, to describe people, were picked up by other staff. It determined that these pejorative words, are always prejudicial, and are used as an excuse to abuse, and even kill patients.

These prejudicial, and negative "diagnoses" are not considered to be medical, nor scientific in nature. They have poor reliablity between one psychiatrist to another, and fail scientific tests for validity, accountability, and reliability. Evidence shows that they do not help in the rehabilitation of the patient at home, or in the community.

Many physicians, and scientists refute their scientific, and medical value. (www.antipsychiatry.org). Even many psychiatrists , refute the value of the psych bible of "diagnoses", called the Diagnostic and Statistical Method (DSM). The DSM is loaded with negative, and demeaning terminology, which lockes the individual into a psych label, and prevents any real medical second opinion. Creating a life-time, in the psych world of mystery, of mumbo-jumbo, and doom.

This label-making allows "mental healt" professionals, to reap billions with no accountability; however, it produces documented slavary, and social problems. These labels, and attitudes enslave a person, for a lifetime. They connote a permanent "mental" condition, and reap psychs permanent return business, which results in their patients' misery from stigma, and social rejection.

At this time there have been no prosecutions, of deviant mental health staff members, nor any real attempt to publicize these issues further. Mental health services, are primarily funded, by our government.

The Hartford Courant offered a series of investigatory articles, in regard to the tragic deaths of mental patients. However no other newpaper, TV station, or any other media source has taken any interest whatsoever, in finding out what happened to these innocent people.

There is documented evidence that America's senior citizens, and their families have been victimized by greedy, and abusive "mental health professionals."

Why have we permitted these documented murders of these innocent children, and adults? Why are we not providing an investigation, of these atrocities? Why are the American media, the newpapers, publishers, hollywood, radio, TV, etc. so supportive of the psychiatric, and the "mental health" industry? Is there a conspiracy here to deny the evidence?

Good Old Fashion Manners

2005-06-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

If you are the owner or manager of any type of company or service that serves the elderly population, I encourage you to read this and share it with your staff. Of course, any business that serves the public (and don't we all?) could stand a good dose of good old fashion manners.

Manners 101 ~ Working in the Elder Care Industry

Good Manners = Higher Employee Retention AND Higher Client Retention

Good old-fashion manners are essential when working in the elder care industry. Employers are struggling with how to teach good manners to employees. Most administrators and management staff are in the 40 plus age group, where as children good manners were taught in the home, being raised by the very generation they now serve. They are often surprised when their younger staff members, those typically working one-on-one with the senior, literally don’t ‘get it’ and truly do not understand the importance of the very basics of being polite to an elderly person.

The average age group of a senior receiving services or care directly from an aide or counselor is from 78 to 86. Typically, this is a widowed woman. In her generation, manners reflected respect and honor, for oneself and for others. There were definite ‘do’s and don’ts’

Practicing good manners will go a long way toward creating an overall atmosphere of mutual trust and respect in your work place. This in turns creates a more pleasant working environment for every employee. An employee that feels respected translates in to higher employee retention. A senior client that feels respected translates in to higher client retention.

Take a few moments during the day, observe your staff interacting with one another, and then observe the interaction your staff displays when working with your elderly clients or how they greet visitors to your place of business. You may find that the lack of good old-fashion manners is the root cause for poor employee relations and for unhappy seniors.

Equality

My pet peeve is the acceptance of a lower standard of treatment based on low income, race, and lower education. Do you treat a wealthy senior with more respect than a low-income senior? Do you treat your cleaning staff with less respect than your administrator? Do you treat those that are different from your skin color or ethnic background with less concern than you do those that are just like you?

Consider the following steps to correct an implement Manners 101 within your training and employee policies. It is essential that employees treat one another with respect. Seniors, especially those living in a facility, watch and observe how the staff treats one another. It makes an impact.

Manners ~ 101

Lead by example: If you are attempting to bring good manners in to your workplace – you must first do what you ask of your employees.
Please and Thank You: Two little phrases that mean a lot. Do you use these words? Check the tone of your voice. Will the listener hear that you ‘mean’ these words?
Smile ~ look them in the eye: When you are speaking with someone, are you connecting? A sincere smile and eye contact is essential.
Mr. Or Mrs.: When you are working with a senior, you should always address him or her by their proper name, Mrs. Smith or Mr. Smith until such time they tell you personally, that you may address them with another name.
Yes Sir, No M’amm.: Much better than, ‘nope’, or ‘yep’ or ‘okiedokie’ or ‘sure, whatever.’
Introduce yourself to seniors, visitors to your place of business (all visitors – including the mail man, the janitorial service, etc. – remember you reflect your business – everyone has a parent!) with something appropriate such as: ‘ Hi there, my name is Barbara, how may I help you?’ Couple that with a smile and eye contact!
Learn names and address each person properly. This actually takes a bit of mental discipline if your elder care business is large with a lot of employees and senior clients. People like to hear their names spoken out loud.
Offer to help: You are walking down a hallway and notice one of your co-workers needs assistance – offer to help – even though ‘it’s not your job’. You are walking through the lobby and notice a senior struggling with something, offer to help – even though this senior is ‘not assigned to you’.
Stop gossiping: You should never gossip about another employee or about a senior (and his or her family) within the workplace – or out in public anywhere. Gossip is offensive and causes dissention. Stopping it in the workplace is vital to creating a warm inviting atmosphere for both staff and clients.
Dumping your personal problems on a senior is very inappropriate – they have enough to worry about. Bringing your personal home problems to work and discussing it with another employee within earshot of the senior is just as bad.
Who cares what happens off site? How would you like to overhear gossip about your mother while standing in the check out lane at Wal-Mart or while having dinner at a restaurant? Just hearing this type of gossip, even if it's not about you or someone you know, will prevent a potential client from even considering your service.
Personal hygiene is part of having good manners. As we age, many of our senses decline; eye sight, hearing and so forth. Our sense of smell however is often times heightened. In fact, studies show that our sense of smell is the last sense active right up to the end breath. Wearing strong perfume, the smell of cigarette smoke in your hair and on your clothes, body odor is offensive.
Long fancy finger nails may enhance your ‘look’ when out on the town, but to a senior that has aging skin, your nails are cause for concern. Large rings, big earrings and gaudy necklaces are also cause for alarm for the same reasons.
Diction, Slang, Profanity: Most of the time what you say is less important to how you say it. A senior translates poor diction in to disrespect and even laziness. The use of slang and profanity should go without saying, right? Again, observe your staff. They may be using slang and or profanity and honestly may not be aware of how negatively they actually sound.
“I am not your child”: If there’s one thing an elderly person detests it’s being spoken ‘down to’. Employees are just as offended to a supervisor speaking to them in this manner.
Just because a person needs your help getting dressed doesn’t mean they ought to be spoken to with a singsong voice and called ‘honey’ and treated as a child.

Mi Casa, Su Casa
For those of you working with the elderly in a facility (assisted living, adult group home, adult day centers, independent senior housing and nursing homes) you will find that your ability and willingness to create a ‘home-like’ environment, one that makes the senior feel as though they count and belong, will translate in to higher client retention.

This will also increase clients as existing satisfied clients recommend your facility (which they now feel as though they can say ‘Where I live’) to the friends they’ve left behind in the community.

Services in the Senior's Home

If you provide services to the elderly in their own homes, then proper staff training is essential. Working within a seniors’ home includes some additional ‘good old-fashion’ manners.

Offer to remove your shoes before entering their home. Remember, this generation of seniors was taught to remove their shoes. This simple reflection of respect sets the tone immediately. You may want to carry a pair of clean shoes to change in to once you arrive.
The ability to politely control your visit so that the senior is put at ease and recognizes that you are there to assist them is something that truly needs to be addressed with your staff before assigning a client to them. It is not the client’s responsibility to make you ‘feel comfortable’
Respecting that seniors have a set method for how they wash dishes, how they cook or how they wash clothes is also important to a home care assistant. You simply need to ask, “Mrs. Smith, is there a special way that you want me to …..?”
How to set limits and say no. Home care aides are often times asked to perform activities that they honestly should not do. Seniors may have an unrealistic expectation. The safe method for an in-home aide to reply to a request to ‘get on your knees to scrub the kitchen floor’ or ‘to wash the windows or mow the grass’ is the following: “Yes, Mrs. Smith, I see that it needs done but I have to stick with the care plan my boss set up for me. May I use your phone to call my supervisor so we can ask about this?”
Telephone use at a client’s home – First, in-home aides should never give out the phone number of their clients’ home to anyone. Therefore, they should never be in a situation where they are receiving personal calls. Next, aides should never use the clients’ phone for any reason other than business related to the senior client. When answering the telephone at a clients home, the aide should answer, “Mrs. Smith’s residence, this is Barbara, how may I help you?” You don’t want to announce that you are the aide; the senior may not want their friends to know they need help. Let the senior decide how to explain your presence.
Answering the door. Safety first! Never open a door until you know who is there. Find out who it is and then let the senior know. The senior will tell you if it’s okay to let this person in or not.

Working within the elder care industry is not for everyone. You genuinely must love older adults. Your sincerity and concern for our elderly will come across and good manners will not only make the senior feel wanted and respected, but it will make your day far more rewarding.

The best method to instill the importance of treating our senior clients with respect, is to respect your employees and in turn, expect the same from him or her.

For a Beginning: Here's some references

2005-06-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

I encourage you to surf to the following:

www.antipsychiatry.org (this excellent site is run, and edited by ex-"mental health" patients. It reviews some of incidences of the innocent children, and adult patients, who have been abused, and killed by staff on American psychwards. There are great physicians who contribute.

www.adhdfraud.com (this site was established by a famous neurologist, and he completely refutes the medical, and scientific bases for psych "diagnoses". It refutes the shameful, and social damaging "adhd" diagnosis, which is so common in American schools.

I also encourage you to read any of the works of: Peter Breggin, M.D., and Thomas Szasz, M.D. Both of these physicians are psychiatrists. You will be amased at what they say. Dr. Breggin's site is http://breggin.com, and that of Dr. Szasz is www.szasz.com

And lastly for now the September 1999 General Accounting Office (Washington D.C.) report entitled MENTAL HEALTH; IMPROPER RESTRAINT OR SECLUSION USE PLACES PEOPLE AT RISK GAO/HEHS-99-176 http://www.gao.gov/archive/1999/he99176.pdf - 415.8KB

Bob's Introduction

2005-06-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hi this is my introduction as a quest writer: Thank you for having me as a guest writer. Please use the name "Bob" for me as a guest writer. I will see how that goes for a while. Many of my blogs will be counter the psychiatric, and psychological establishment; therefore, I want to assess the reactions, before giving my full name. All my blogs will be informative, respectful, and well researched.

I have served on many public committees, that attempted to overhaul "mental health" practices.
These committees all failed, because of the tremedous wealth, and political power of "mental health" establishment in America. Mental health services, and its related endeavors rakes in over $180 billion per year. That's a great deal of money, and allows the system, to manipulate all reform attemps and remain absolutely in exclusive control. This eventhough our government contributes a lion share of psych income. There is no oversight. Its done only by psychs themselves.

The documented evidence confirms that: 1) mental health, and psychiatric treatment actually make people worse 2) psychotreatment is often abusive, harmful, and often kill the patient. The family is harmed by stigma also 3) After one becomes involved in psychotreatment, one's social life deteriorates. There is a tremedously higher rate of divorces, suicides, unproductivity, and social problems. AFTER TREATMENT BEGINS.

Stigma means Shame. Shame is caused by bogus psych labeling, and harmful psych attitudes. Shame can cause dysfunctionalism, family interrelationship problems, and personal misery.

I have seen the harm, and misery caused by the pajorative labeling( based upon the over 300 "diagnoses" of DSM IV-the psych bible of psychobabble) used commonly by psychoprofessionals. I will go into this further, in my writings, and I will reference well-regarded physicians, and scientists who refute the conclusions made by "mental health professionals".

America's senior citizens are horribly effected, by the bogus conclusions, and findings of psychs. Seniors, and their families have been exploited, by documented psychgreed. Children have been abused, and killed on American psychwards, by mental health staff.

I'll stop for now, and I will continue when I post my blogs. Thank you for your interest, and concern for humanity. I look forward to getting to know you better.

Part Two - Hiring In Home Help

2005-06-03T02:54:00.000-07:00

Part One spoke about the legalities of how to pay an individual that you might hire to help with home care, companion, shopping, meal preparation, handyman services, cleaning and so forth.

Now, lets' talk about tips to help you remain SAFE as you advertise your need of home care and begin to interview with individuals.

Your safety is tied to your privacy. I see ads all the time in the paper from families saying things like, Wanted - in home care companion for elderly person that lives alone .... Finished off by listing your phone number.

Well, anyone can go to goggle and put your phone number in a search and find out your address. You have just told the entire world that there is an elderly person living alone and obviously is not able to care for themselves. What a great invitation for a thief!

If you place an ad in the paper - request a resume or letter of introduction. Pay the extra dollar or two and use the newspapers' PO Box service for resumes.

Once you've decided who you will call (or if you don't use this advice, when folks begin answering your ad by calling you) do not set the initial interview with this person at your home (or your loved one's home if that's where the care is to take place)

You may end up interviewing 20 or 30 people before you decide which one you want to hire. You do not want 20 or 30 'out of work' strangers inside your home. We all like to believe that people, in general, are kind and honest. The truth is that's not always reality. Sorry, but we don't all live in Mayberry.

By interviewing initially at your home, you let everyone see the vulnerable (either physically and or mentally) condition of your loved one. A would be thief (or worse) now knows:

Your address
The person has low or no vision, is partially deaf and is wheel chair bound
This person is left alone (until help can be hired) while you work during the day
They know your schedule - because you tell them
They know where all the entrances and exits are, what kinds of windows, even what kind of security system you have or don't have
They know the layout of every room - because you tour them through the house during your interview
They see your nice possessions

Need I say more?

Your first initial interview should be held in a public place - or - in the home of the candidate. You'll learn a lot from this person if they are willing to invite you in to their home!

Once you've narrowed your selection down to 2 or 3 candidates, if at all possible, have them meet the person (your loved one) again, in a public place. The library, a coffee shop, the senior center - any place you can take your loved one to for a meeting.

Your last interview with the remaining candidates should now be conducted fairly safely in the home where care is to take place.

See part three for more helpful hints.

How to Hire In Home Help Part One

2005-06-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

The very first question that you must ask yourself, "Do I want to hire an individual?" or "Should I contract with an in-home agency?"

What's the difference? There are many considerations that you really must explore.

Hiring someone to provide care, provide companionship, cleaning services, handyman services, lawn care, even nursing care on a one to one basis will usually cost you less per hour than contracting with a service or company. At least on the surface.

The person you hire is offering their services at a lower rate than a company could because they don't have the overhead.

A nice lady that you hire, let's say from word of mouth or the paper, to come in and provide services for you or your loved one, may charge you somewhere around $8 - $12 an hour. Sometimes less.

Some of these individuals will agree to working for a lower amount 'under the table'. This means you are paying cash, and you are not paying for this person's withholding taxes, unemployment benefits, or workers' compensation. Chances are, the person receiving this payment from you 'under the table' is not claiming the income. They are not filing taxes.

This is illegal of course, and IRS would love to learn about this. Still, it happens.

Now, if this person is being paid by you and is not filing taxes, guess what. You cannot claim this expense as a deduction.

If you hire a person to work in your home, you are in the eyes of the law, the employer. Legally, you either have to deduct taxes as any employer would do, (sharing in the tax liability) or require that the person you've hired signs the necessary tax forms that show they are an independent contractor responsible for their own taxes. You then, as the 'contractor of services' issue what is called a 1099. This is the earnings statement that the 'independent contractor' will use to file their own taxes.

When you do this, above board, you now have a deduction as the 'contractor of services' that you can take from your personal tax liability.

The 'independent contractor' will now have to pay the full tax rate of this amount paid to them, minus their expenses.

An 'employer' pays (on average) half the amount of tax liability and issues legitimate checks that deduct these taxes (which includes unemployment and all local, state, federal and workers compensation) The 'employee' receives a check minus these deductions.

So, if you are paying as a 'contractor' to an 'independent contractor' a flat $8 per hour and you use, say 1,000 hours per year of this person's time, you have spent $8,000 on in home care. If your 'independent contractor' agrees to claim this $8,000 on a 1099, you can deduct this (in most cases) from your taxes.

The 'independent contractor' earned $8,000 from you. Most of the time, depending on the state and this persons' marital and family status, they will now be in a situation where they owe taxes on this $8,000 and it could be substantial - as high as 30% - or $2,400.

If you decide that you will hire directly and pay this person as an independent contractor, issuing a 1099 at the end of the year - you also need to be cautious about a couple of other items.

First, check with your homeowners insurance policy. Are you covered for potential accidents of a 'domestic contractor' in your home? What if this nice lady that you hired, falls in your home and hurts herself? Will your insurance cover her expenses and will your insurance cover beyond the medical expenses should this nice lady decide to hire a TV lawyer that convinces her to sue you for lost time and mental anguish?

You should also require (I mean require - get a copy of it) that this person you contract with carries their own workers compensation insurance. What would happen if this person was helping your loved one move from the bed to a chair, and she wrenched her back?

There is more to caution you in the way of hiring on your own. I'll continue in the next posting.

Part Two Stress-10 Helpful Hints

2005-06-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

Try these for a few weeks. Each is free! Why not give it a try.

Breathe from your belly (not the top part of your lungs) This better oxygenates your blood, increasing circulation and removes harmful toxins from your blood stream.
Drink water. This hydrates your cells, improves the elasticity of muscles and tissues and removes harmful toxins from your organs.
Wear and surround yourself with calming colors. Light blue, aqua and green are associated with health, healing, tranquility, understanding, and softness.
Listen to music that makes you feel good. Music that has 50-60 beats per minute is known to induce calmness and healing in the body.
Find aromas that when you sniff makes you remember good joyful moments in your life.
Experiment with the lighting in the space you spend the most time in. Try rose colored light bulbs, try increasing the watts, try full spectrum lighting.
Your diet should consist of 80% alkaline, 20% acid producing foods. A high acid diet causes anxiety and aggression.
Learn to hug and accept hugs. This simple act of human kindness lowers blood pressure, lowers output of cortisol (a stress hormone.) When cortisol lowers, there is a surge of serotonin and dopamine (feel good chemicals) Add pets and or plants to your living space. The same chemical reaction occurs with petting a pet and caring for plants as well.
Reach out for help – recognize you can’t do it all, every day, all day, for an undetermined amount of time.
Laugh it all away!

Part One - Stress- Illnesses

2005-06-02T14:27:00.000-07:00

More than 50 million people, provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend during any given year.

Most family members readily jump in to help a loved one and will put their own lives on hold. Only 46 percent expect to be caregivers longer than two years. In fact the average length of time spent on caregiving is about eight years, with approximately one third of respondents providing care for 10 years or more.

(Source: MetLife Juggling Act Study, Balancing Caregiving with Work and the Costs of Caregiving, Met Life Mature Market Institute, November 1999.)

The stress of family caregiving for person's with dementia has been shown to impact a person's immune system for up to three years after their caregiving ends thus increasing their chances of developing a chronic illness themselves.

(Source: Drs.Janice-Kiecolt Glaser and Ronald Glaser 'Chronic stress and age-related increases in the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6', Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, June 30, 2003.)

Family caregivers who provide care 36 or more hours weekly are more likely than non-caregivers to experience symptoms of depression or anxiety. For spouses the rate is six times higher; for those caring for a parent the rate is twice as high.

(Source: Cannuscio, CC, C Jones, I Kawachi, GA Colditz, L Berkman and E Rimm, Reverberation of family illness: A longitudinal assessment of informal caregiver and mental health status in the nurses' health study. American Journal of Public Health 2002; 92:305-1311.)

Family caregivers providing high levels of care have a 51 percent incidence of sleeplessness and a 41 percent incidence of back pain.

(Source: National Family Caregivers Association, Caregiving Across the Life Cycle, 1998)

Writers Wanted

2005-06-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

Do you enjoy writing? We need your help. We are looking for stories that both entertain and lift us up. We are looking for hints and ideas to help us in our caregiving duties. We are looking for laughter and joyful thoughts. We are looking for tips to help both a caregiver and the care recipient. Join us, write for us.

Yours Truly,
Grandma T

Welcome Message

2005-06-01T16:59:00.000-07:00

Hello from your host, Grandma Tehe.

Please take a moment to reply to this post by clicking on 'comments' and introduce yourself. Let us know who you are. Are you a fellow senior like myself? Are you a caregiver, if so, who do you provide care for? Are you part of the growing population of grandparents raising kids?

We welcome you and hope that this blog, or message board if you will, provides both informative and helpful information. We will add things from time to time, but we want you to take control and share.

Nothing beats personal experience. There is no formal education that can truly prepare you to become a family caregiver. Oh sure, you can take a class on 'techniques' but every individual family is so unique, how can you ever expect to be fully prepared should you be called upon to care for your own? It's difficult.

So please, share your experiences with us. Let us learn from your mistakes and from your accomplishments.

May you find joy and peace in all that you do and may the power behind all your actions be founded in love,

Yours Truly,
Grandma T