Life Story Telling – In Your Own Words

Posted on November 21, 2011 by webmaven

I am overjoyed to be witness to the growing popularity of life story (life review) projects such as StoryCorps, which now has a spot on NPR and is doing terrific work. I’m also happy to see that a friend, Betty Marton, is doing similar work at her site In Your Own Words.

Telling one’s life story should be a part of everyone’s life, and hearing his or her elders’ stories should be a part of everyone’s youth. How better to keep tradition, wisdom, and the richness of life intact on our fragile planet?

Though it may seem like an easy process, I can tell you from experience that story telling goes better and easier if handled by a dedicated professional. It can be done by the family, but the elders are more likely to open up in the hands of a skilled interviewer and better stories will often be the result.

Betty offers the valuable service of facilitating, interviewing and collecting life stories. But she goes a few steps further; she follows through and presents a finished project. She also offers this service to organizations and is knowledgeable about other aspects of the work:

“An ethical will can enable you to share your hopes, values, and wishes for family and loved ones; a book of remembrance of someone who has passed is a valuable way to collect and preserve memories; and a wedding book with stories of the couple, as individuals and together, is a wonderful way to celebrate the future.”

Get in touch with Betty today. Your stories can come true!

 

 

Posted in aging, alzheimers, care giving, care giving, care giving, caregiver, caregiver stress, caregiving, caregiving, dementia, elder care, elderly, end of life, end of life care, healing, home care, home care, homecare, life review, mindfulness, senior citizens, spiritual care, spiritual care, story telling | Comments Off on Life Story Telling – In Your Own Words

Don’t Miss This Event: The Challenges of Family Caregiving: What Needs to Be Done?

Posted on November 13, 2011 by webmaven

This is amazing! I have no idea how so many excellent speakers are going to present in 3 hours! This will be webcast!!! See details below.

The Challenges of Family Caregiving: What Needs to Be Done?   Thursday, December 1, 2011 9:00 AM-Noon (Continental Breakfast Available at 8:30 AM)
Columbus Club, Union Station, Washington, DC

Click Here To RSVP

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.  Join us: audience participation is encouraged.

For those who cannot attend, this forum will be webcast. Click here on December 1.

Speakers:

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

 Howard Gleckman, Author of Caring for Our Parents, and Fellow, the Urban Institute.

Jane Gross, Journalist and author of A Bittersweet Season: Caring for Our Aging Parents—And Ourselves, and  founder of the New York Times “The New Old Age” blog.

Robert Kane, MD, Author of The Good Caregiver, and Minnesota Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging, University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

Carol Levine, Editor of Always on Call: When Illness Turns Families into Caregivers, and Director, Families and Health Care Project, United Hospital Fund, New York.

Suzanne Mintz, Author of A Family Caregiver Speaks Up: “It Doesn’t Have to Be This Hard,” and President and CEO, National Family Caregivers Association.

Walter Mosley, Author of more than 34 books, including The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, a novel about family and aging.

 Peter Rabins, MD, MPH, Co-Author, The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer’s Disease, Related Dementias and Memory Loss, and Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Jonathan Rauch, Author of “Letting Go of My Father;” Contributing Editor, National Journal and The Atlantic; and Guest Scholar, the Brookings Institution.

 

Gail Sheehy, Author of Passages in Caregiving: Turning Chaos into Confidence and author of over 15 other books, including Passages, and a contributer to Vanity Fair.

Cheryl Woodson, MD, Author of To Survive Caregiving: A Daughter’s Experience, A Doctor’s Advice on Finding Hope, Help and Health,” and Director, Woodson Center for Adult HealthCare.

REGISTER NOW—SEATING IS LIMITED

For more information, contact Cherri Thompson, 202-434-3883, chthompson@aarp.org

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Interesting article about Advance Directives

Posted on October 23, 2011 by webmaven

Gundersen Hospital sounds like it has an advanced approach to this issue but it’s been subject to alot of hype. Make your own decision…

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/october-21-2011/advance-directives/9748/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=fanpage&utm_campaign=pbs

If people fill out a five wishes document they will have a chance to deal with a lot of these issues before they get to the hospital.

Posted in cancer care, care giving, care giving, care giving, caregiver, caregiver support, caregiving, death and dying, death and dying, end of life, end of life care, hospice, hospice, mindfulness, palliative care, spiritual care | Comments Off on Interesting article about Advance Directives

Upcoming Health Care Symposium in Kingston, NY

Posted on September 15, 2011 by webmaven

Health Care Revolution

SynergisticWellnessCenter_8th (2)

A 4 week symposium on Self Empowerment and Compassionate Medical Care at Kingston Library during the month of October with panel discussions and open dialogue for health care providers, caregivers, patients and the public.

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOONS IN OCTOBER, 4-6 PM.
FREE ADMISSION

Oct 5 Patient – Clinician Relationship
What is a Healing Relationship?
“When we meet in love we shall be whole”
Eugene Gauggel and featured presenters

Oct 12 Care Giver Revolution
How to deal with caregiving emergencies.

Grant Abrams, PT, and guests will discuss his book Caregiver Revolution.

Oct 19 Alternative Healing Modalities

Mind/body healing, Qigong, guided healing meditations

Gary Mercurio and guests

Oct 26 The Future of Health Care
Humanizing the Medical Establishment.
Panel discussion on possibilities of compassionate caregiving, with emphasis on patient empowerment and disease prevention.

Please email with any questions  or for more information.

 

SynergisticWellnessCenter_8th (2)

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Webcam 101 for Seniors

Posted on September 14, 2011 by webmaven

Time for a laugh, they were totally unaware that they were recording:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcN08Tg3PWw

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How Things Have Changed

Posted on September 8, 2011 by webmaven

We may wonder why it’s not like the old times when sick and older family members could simply return home from the hospital and fit right back in. Why has caregiving gotten so difficult? 

  1. Hospitals are discharging people quicker and sicker than ever before. Complicated follow-up regimens and medical or medicinal procedures are often involved and discharge instruction is limited.

  2. Family dynamics have gotten more complicated over the past few years. Women are working longer hours and there are more non-traditional and extended families. The “primary caregiver” may include several people. They have to communicate extensively and arrange schedules to coordinate care.

  3. The “independence trap” makes it hard for caregivers to ask for help. “I can do it,” and “I don’t need any help,” are phrases that professionals often hear from soon-to-be-beleaguered spouses and families. The independence trap comes out of a belief system in the western world which equates maturity and strength of character with going it alone. (Witrogen Mcleod 20)

  4. Our economic system can no longer support the burgeoning aging population. This puts more financial pressure on the spouses to continue working and gives them less money for medications and supplemental care (which, by the way, are getting more expensive).

  5. Chronic long-term illness has become more prevalent over the past 20 years and dying has become a slower, more gradual, process. Much longer near-critical care periods are becoming increasingly common with repeated admissions to the hospital.

  6. Caregiving quickly turns into a matter of sheer endurance. After a few weeks, little things that seemed doable in the short term, pile up and become unmanageable. People don’t know which way to turn and get overwhelmed. This, in turn, sets them back further…it can be a downward spiral.

     

Posted in aging, alzheimers, buddhism, cancer care, care giving, care giving, care giving, caregiver, caregiver stress, caregiver stress, caregiver support, caregiving, caregiving, elder care, elderly, end of life care, home care, homecare, hospice, hospice, hospice care, palliative care, spiritual care | Comments Off on How Things Have Changed