Family Caregiver Info and Family C.A.R.E.

Business and legal stuff

2012-01-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

While most people want to stay on the right side of the law, sometimes there comes a point where you find yourself in need of a good criminal lawyer to help you sort out something that happened, possibly with a friend or relative who made a poor choice and now finds themselves hoping for the best as they look for a good los angeles criminal defense lawyer to help them avoid prison time.

NoCuffs.com, the website for the Kavinoky Law Firm in both southern and northern California, has offices across the state of California, including criminal defense attorney los angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and other cities.

Sometimes even the most innocent of intentions can land someone on the wrong side of things. It is not uncommon to see people starting up their own home based or small business in the wake of the economic crash, but very few of those who start their own business consider the many ways in which they may find themselves facing legal investigation and in serious need of the help of a california criminal lawyer that can help them avoid facing very serious charges for things such as accidental tax violations when they tried to do their own business taxes.

This is not to scare anyone from trying to start their own business, but it should certainly be something that is entered into with as much knowledge of the possible legal issues and pitfals as someone has of the product or service they wish to earn money from.

Presidental candidates: Who do you think is best for 2012 and why?

2012-01-21T19:27:00.000-08:00

Okay, as a family caregiver, who do you think is the best candidate for 2012 and why do you think so?

I am going to continue to watch them, because as an undeclared I have not made up my mind based on a certain party, but I am interested in hearing what those who have made up their minds and why, as family caregivers, they like the ones they like.

So, let me know. Who do you think is best and why? Are there more than one you think would be good? What issues do you with they would focus on that they are not focusing on?

Family medical history for... zombies?

2011-12-30T14:54:00.000-08:00

I got the Winter 2012 issue of Health Monitor in the mail a few days ago and last night I was reading through it when I noticed something... peculiar. One of their cover articles is "Update Your Family Medical History - Now". Paging through the booklet to the article we find the usual sorts of questions --

YOU
Date of Birth: ____________
Date of Death: ____________
Cause of Death: ____________
Illness: ____________

---- wait.... read that again. Date and cause of death for YOU!? Is this a family medical history for zombies?

I don't know about anyone else out there, but I am not exactly privy to the date and cause of my death, and I kind of don't want to be. I just hope it is a VERY long time from now and I'll have lived a full life when it happens. How the heck am I supposed to be filling out my own date and cause of death in a family medical history file?

Even with the peculiar information request on the questionnaire, they are right. It is important to create a family medical history.

Shark Week

2011-12-30T14:17:00.001-08:00

Contribution by German Flowers

My husband loves watching Shark Week. He looks forward to watching it all summer. Shark Week is a whole week on Discovery Channel dedicated to shows about sharks. I do not know how they find that much information on sharks to take up a whole week with shark shows. My husband was worried that shark week was going to be when he was out of town for work and he might not be able to watch it. I told him to go to www.cannonsatellite.com to find the Discovery Channel schedule. He found out that shark week is the week before he has to go out of town and he will be able to watch most of the shark shows. I am not that interested in sharks and most of those shows make me scared to swim in the ocean. They do not even phase my husband though. He can watch all sorts of shark attacks and still have no problem swimming in the ocean. I am not really looking forward to hours of shark shows being recorded on our tv, but I guess it makes my husband happy.

Santa's gift basket

2011-12-24T00:27:00.000-08:00

Gift baskets are a popular item to give for the holiday season. And they are an easy way to put together a last minute gift or a gift for an entire family.

Tuck small wrapped gifts into the basket, because everyone likes to have at least one little surprise that they can open for the holidays.

Keep dietary restrictions in mind. You don't want to give sugary things to a diabetic or salty things to someone watching their sodium intake.

If you are making a basket for a family, then be sure that you allow for enough of each item for the family that receives the basket that everyone gets at least one of each item type.

Another year drawing to a close

2011-12-23T20:05:00.000-08:00

Here we are at the close of another year. Where I live the snow lays heavily on the ground and evenings are spent watching the glowing lights of the holiday tree in a darkened room.

I have the tree up, but did not have the emotional or mental strength to actually decorate it. Possibly tomorrow night, if I am not hurrying to get holiday presents made at the last minute or something. It is a bit of a blah year for me. My car is snowed in so I ain't gone anywhere since winter started, and that means that I have not had a chance to get any shopping done for anyone. Not that I am in a very festive mood, but I had at least had intentions to get out and go shopping for at least one item for each of the people in my family.

The holidays are just not much of a festive time when you live alone and there is no one other than the dogs to be decorating for. Or the cats, but the cats tend to climb into the tree and break the ornaments.

The Lemon Law and Attorneys

2011-12-23T18:09:00.000-08:00

Buyers regret is one thing. Where you buy a new car and after you drive it off the lot you decide that you really wish you had gone for the little red convertible instead. In a case such as that you really should have taken more time to make your decision and picked the car that you truely do love before you made the purchase.

What if you love your new car, but as soon as you dive off the lot the car it starts to exhibit issues that were not known about before you purchased it? Not every car is what we expected to buy, but some can be genuine lemons that we really wish we had never seen.

That is why there is a law known as the Lemon Law. It assures that if you purchase a lemon you have certain rights. In California you can consult someone such as the California Lemon Law attorneys Shainfeld & Anvar to find out what your rights are when it comes to having purchased a lemon.

Shainfeld & Anvar are Lemon Law attorneys in California that assist car buyers in avoiding being ripped off by the purchase of a lemon, however, there are laws in every state to help protect you from purchasing a lemon instead of a car, so if you are not in California contact a local attorney that specializes in consumer rights. to find out what your rights as a buyer are.

Leaking roof vent

2011-12-21T23:28:00.000-08:00

The last thing that anyone wants to find is damage to their home, trust me, I know. The men that built my parents' house were low bid contractors on a government contract after a fire did major damage to the area years ago and a disaster was declared. We were among the the lucky that got help rebuilding, but that came with some drawbacks.

Being a government assisted building project, it went to the lowest bidder. That left us with a house filled with construction flaws. The foundation had a large crack near the front door, the living room had a crack that went the entire length of the ceiling and turned to head for the front door where the living room went toward the hallway, the kitchen counters were pulled out from the wall behind them, and it was impossible to put up corner shelves because you could not find an actually squared corner in the house.

The worse I think, aside from the major structural cracks, was the improperly sealed fan in the kitchen that caused water to leak into the house during thaw or heavy rains. There are clear signs of leaking on the walls in both the kitchen and the bathroom where they share the wall with the faulty kitchen fan vent. The walls have been painted, but the damage is still there and even after the State sent someone that was supposed to have repaired the vent last year it still leaks.

If I save the house, I am going to need to get upstairs and see what the attic looks like where the water has made its way into the house all these years. I'm a bit scared to see what that is going to be like, even though the guy from the state assured me that there was no damage. He had also assured me he had fixed the leak.

The Twelve Days of Christmas - or caregiving, or....

2011-12-21T18:33:00.000-08:00

I'm in a weird mood right now, and rather sleepy, so I present to you The Twelve Days of Christmas... or is that The Twelve Days of Caregiving?? I know from experience this can all be fit into about 12 hours of being a caregiver, so, for all of you that work so hard to make life a little easier for those who you love - this Filkd classic is for you!

On the first day of Christmas my caregiver gave to me...
An open heart with lots of love

On the second day of Christmas my caregiver gave to me...
An open heart with lots of love
two kisses on the cheek

On the second day of Christmas my caregiver gave to me...
An open heart with lots of love
two kisses on the cheek
Three home cooked meals

(and so on...)

Four healthy snacks
Five warm blankets
Six assistance's standing
Seven loving embraces
Eight cups of water
Nine medications
Ten errands a running
Eleven times came a running
Twelve I love yous

Happy Holidays

2011-12-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

The holidays are here, looming just around the corner and moving closer with each day. In fact, today is the 13th of November, which means that there are now exactly 12 days to Christmas.

How do you plan to make this year special for a senior in your life? How have you made holidays past special for them?

Okay, Alaska, you can get warm again now

2011-11-20T12:44:00.000-08:00

According to the National Weather Service in Anchorage Alaska, the temperature yesterday in the Anchorage area hit a record temperature of -8, beating out the 1963 record value of -7. The normal for this time of year is a minimum temperature of 15 degrees F, making it -23 degrees colder than the average cold, and -11 degrees colder than November 19, 2010.

And where I am it runs ten degrees colder, so it was -18 here, which was COLD - ran me out of heating fuel and I can't get more until at least Monday.

Scrubs for Caregivers

2011-11-17T02:19:00.000-08:00

If you would like to get scrubs that you can use in providing care to your loved one, then Blue Sky Scrubs would like for you to take a look at the selection of scrubs they have to offer.

Blue Sky Scrubs has nursing scrubs for sale online as well as Scrub Hats that can be used for keeping hair out of the way while preparing meals or during other daily tasks. Anyone with long hair should check out the "pony hats" that allow ponytails to be tucked into a little pouch at the back of the scrub hat.

You can see all of the products that Blue Sky Scrubs has to offer at http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Men, and browsing through their products listings. Whether you are looking for comfortable scrub pants that you can wear wound the house, or a professional looking jacket while you and your loved one are out and about, Blue Sky Scrubs have a lot of styles, patterns and colors from which to choose.

Blue Sky Scrubs even has children sizes, so Grandma's little nurse could have a special set of nurse scrubs that they can wear as they help out. Perfect for any child that likes to help take care of Grandma or Grandpa.

November is National Family Caregiver Month

2011-11-17T01:49:00.000-08:00

Did you know that November is National Family Caregiver month?

In November of 1997 President Clinton signed the first Presidential proclamation that would mark November as National Family Caregiver Month.

This year President Barack Obama released the following proclomation:

______________________________________

Presidential Proclamation -- National Family Caregivers Month, 2011

NATIONAL FAMILY CAREGIVERS MONTH, 2011

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Across our country, millions of family members, neighbors, and friends provide care and support for their loved ones during times of need. With profound compassion and selflessness, these caregivers sustain American men, women, and children at their most vulnerable moments, and through their devoted acts, they exemplify the best of the American spirit. During National Family Caregivers Month, we pay tribute to the individuals throughout America who ensure the health and well-being of their relatives and loved ones.

Many of our Nation's family caregivers assist seniors and people with disabilities to help improve their quality of life. Their efforts help deliver short term comfort and security, facilitate social engagement, and help individuals stay in their homes and communities as long as possible. This heroic work is often done while caregivers balance other commitments to their families, jobs, and communities. As these remarkable individuals put their own lives on hold to tend to their family members, it is our responsibility to ensure they do not have to do it alone.

To ease the emotional and financial burdens that can accompany caregiving, my Administration has striven to support family caregivers for the crucial role they perform. Vice President Joe Biden's Middle Class Task Force has focused on the importance or investing in respite care, counseling, and training for individuals who serve aging Americans. These initiatives would give family caregivers a leg up as they continue to support their aging loved ones.

One of our Nation's greatest responsibilities is to ensure our veterans, their families, and their caregivers receive lasting and comprehensive support. Last year, I signed the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act, which helps fulfill this obligation by extending additional assistance to family members who care for severely wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Our military caregivers exemplify the heroism found not only on the fields of battle, but also in the hearts of those who tend to our wounded warriors when they come home.

As we observe National Family Caregivers Month, we honor the tireless compassion of Americans who heal, comfort, and support our injured, our elders, and people with disabilities. This month and throughout the year, let the quiet perseverance of our family caregivers remind us of the decency and kindness to which we can all aspire.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2011 as National Family Caregivers Month. I encourage all Americans to pay tribute to those who provide for the health and well-being of their family members, friends, and neighbors.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

Home Remedies That Work

2011-11-14T17:39:00.000-08:00

I find it amusing that one of the headline articles at AARP today is Grandma Was Right: These Home Remedies Work - 10 Home Remedies That Work, as if it is a surprise that our grandparents might have known a thing or two about how to ease a cold or cure a headache without reaching for the drug cabinet.

What does surprise me is what they then go on to suggest.

Liquid Dish Soap for poison ivy?
Baby Shampoo for cleaning eyelids?
Menthol Rub.... Witch Hazel...

Well, okay, witch hazel could be considered a old natural remedy I suppose, but still, when I think natural home remedies that work, I think in terms of chicken soup for a cold and warm salt water for a sore throat.

If we are going to talk about home remedies that grandma was right about, I do not think we should be talking in terms of shampoo and dish soap. When I think of home remedies that my mom told me about, I don't think of those sorts of products. I'm not sure how many she learned from her mom, but they could have easily been passed down by my grandmother's generation and her grandmother's generation.

So, here are a few home remedies that work (at least for me) that are good old fashioned "Grandma's Home Remedies."

1. Warm Salt Water for Sore Throats
To one cup of warm water add one teaspoon of salt, gargle until water is gone - try not to swallow, it tastes nasty. Repeat three times a day.
I got this recipe from a military doctor at Fairchild Air Force Base just outside of Spokane, Washington. My parents took me there in the 1980's when I had tonsillitis and the doctor told me that he could do one of two things. He could remove my tonsils, or he could do the three second cure with a skewer stick. I knew we couldn't afford me being in a hospital for removing them, so I opted for the quick cure. He jabbed my tonsils and sent me home to eat ice cream with instructions to gargle with warm salt water, explaining it would help better than any pills he might prescribe and worked for any sore throat. He was right. And in an article on cold remedies the Mayo Clinic agrees, use salt water for sore throats.

2. Chicken Soup for Colds
While it might seem more like a comfort food for someone that feels miserable with a cold, there has actually been research into the ability of chicken soup to cure the common cold. It is even suggested by the Mayo Clinic as a cold remedy. There is an amino acid called Cysteine that is found in it that helps to reduce mucus and thereby relieves some of the misery of the common cold. Sure there are other ways to do this, but when miserable is it not just as comforting to huddle in a chair in a fluffy quilt and slowly sip chicken noodle soup from a spoon?
Vegetables can be added to the soup, and do tend to have some healing qualities of their own, but are not actually necessary for the healing qualities to be gained from chicken soup. See this student paper on the common cold for more about how chicken soup really does help ease symptoms. And the good news - it does not have to be home made if you are not feeling up to that. Campbell's soup seems to work just as well as home made for making you feel better when you have a cold.

3. Cloves Ease Toothache Pain
Whenever someone had a toothache my mom would recommend they place a whole clove in their mouth along the gums between the lip and the painful tooth. Clove oil is known to reduce the pain of toothaches when applied to the area with a Q-Tip, although it is advised not to be used in large quantities (who would??) because it can cause liver damage in large quantities. The whole clove trick works to numb the gums where the pain is until the person can get to a dentist for proper treatment.

4. Mud For Nettle Sting
It might seem weird, even yucky, but when I was a little girl my mom told me to put fresh creek mud onto my arm whenever I ended up straying into the stinging nettles. It worked. I'm not sure what it was, the psychological effect, or the coolness of the mud, or whatever, but it would ease the sting feel of the stinging nettles. Note that I never tried it on poison ivy or oak, only on stinging nettle, so I don't know what all it would work for, but for me, clean mud from a flowing stream worked for stinging nettle.

Taking some wardrobe cute from my roommates

2011-11-11T18:25:00.000-08:00

Guest post written by Laura Laws

I guess that you mimic the people that you're around most of the time. It's always been that way. But right now I have some really stylish roommates that are really causing me to challenge myself in the way that I dress every day. It's so much more interesting to find all sorts of different outfit combinations, especially when your roommates have invested interests in what you're wearing and see you enough to know your style.

I'm not the most fashionable person, especially in our apartment, so I not only ask my roommates for fashion advice, but I also use our wireless internet Arlington to find out all kinds of different ideas about how to make my existing style even better with my existing stuff. I'm all about dressing better without having to actually spend any money.

Sometimes I wish that my roommates were up as early as me during the week. There are so many mornings that I wish I had their input. But I've learned to just get their input the night before when I plan my outfits.

Home care facility in Marina, CA kills 5

2011-11-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday a fire in a home care facility in Marina, California killed 4 and injures 3 police officers.

At around twenty minutes before midnight a fire was reported at the Mount Carmel Adult Residential Facility in Marina. Firefighters arrived on scene to discover persons still trapped within the facility and three Marina police officers, a firefighter and two care providers suffered smoke inhalation, reportedly while attempting to rescue persons trapped inside the facility.

The persons killed in the fire were residents of the home, whose names have not been released. Investigators from the ATF are assisting local officials in investigating what caused the fire.

AARP wants people over 50 to live the American Dream

2011-11-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

I have a new article up at the Family Caregiver Info website - AARP wants people over 50 to live the American Dream too, stop in and see what AARP is up to and then stop in at the forums at Family Caregiver Info and share your thoughts about this and other issues facing family caregivers.

Thyme Tea for coughs from flu

2011-10-28T04:57:00.000-07:00

For the first time in about 20 years I have let myself be sick while I have the flu - I don't think I wanna ever do that again.

I've been sick for about two weeks now, and although I am past the stage where I just wanted to tuck into bed and sleep through the sickness stuff, I am now into coughing every time I try to lay down. I don't like it, and I'm not getting enough sleep because I can't lay down without having to get back up because of the coughing.

I looked up home remedies online and found that thyme made into a tea is supposed to be good for stopping coughs, so I decided to try it. I had already tried the honey, lemon and brandy trick. And spoons of honey. And several other tricks - I even tried a trick I saw on a video where the pharmacy guy had said that you can stop nighttime coughs by putting Vicks Vapor Rub on the soles of your feet and putting on warm socks then going to sleep. Not sure on how that works, my test was flawed by inability to sleep at the time I tried it.

The thyme tea seems to be of some help though. I made up a recipe for thyme ginger tea:

1 tsp thyme leaves
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
3 whole cloves

Place into small tea pot and add 1 cup boiling water. Let steep for 10 minutes. Add 1 more cup boiling water to warm it back up.

Pour into tea cups and sweeten with honey. Sip to soothe coughs.

I don't know if there is a safe limit on how much thyme a person can drink, I will need to look that up, but the tea has a nice flavor to it and is even good cold - which makes me want to try it as an iced tea next summer. Will need to look into if there is a limit to how much thyme someone should consume and what its side effects are.

Medications and Lawsuits

2011-10-08T23:42:00.000-07:00

As caregivers we have a lot to keep track of and worry about, we really do not need to be worrying over if the medications which our loved one's doctor has prescribed to them might indeed be safe for them. And yet, sometimes we will find ourselves in just such positions. As a caregiver for my father I called doctors on more than a few medications that would have resulted in either medications that were not needed and had potentially dangerous side effects, or on certain medications that could not be mixed with other medications without life threatening results.

Some medications, while they have been FDA approved, are not right for all segments of the population, and this can lead to possible lawsuits if the drug companies and others associated with at risk medications are not careful. Such as the cholesterol medication Crestor and the possibility raised of misleading advertising that could result in a Crestor lawsuit by anyone harmed by the medication. Originally developed by the Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi, Crestor was licensed to Astra-Zeneca in 1998. It was not until 2003 before Crestor was approved for use in the U.S. by the FDA.

A member of the drugs known as "statins", Crestor's approval had some limitations to use due to some known potential side effects when taken by certain at risk people. This potential for serious side effects was part of the issue when in 2009 the FDA scrutinized the advertising Astra-Zeneca used for Crestor. There was, apparently, some misleading safety claims in the advertising that came under the FDA's scrutiny.

This has been a sponsored post

MIT family caregiver handbook

2011-10-08T18:38:00.000-07:00

MIT has a family caregiver handbook available for anyone that is looking for elder care resources in Massachusetts. You can find it on the MIT website on the Family Caregiver Handbook page.

The online handbook offers a wealth of advice not only for residents of Massachusetts, but information that would be of use to any caregiver living anywhere in the United States. The handbook guides the caregiver through important questions that they will want to know the answers to as they start into being a caregiver for their aging loved one, such as what needs the elder person will have, what services might be needed later on, what documentation might be needed, and so much more.

2011 Elizabeth McGown Caregiver Legacy Award

2011-10-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

Morningside Ministries has a note on their Facebook page announcing the 2011 Elizabeth McGown Caregiver Legacy Award which honors a health care professional or caregiver (family or pastoral) that provides exceptional care to one or more older adults and inspires others to make a difference in the lives of older adults as well.

See their Facebook page for all of the details on the award (linked above).

What's the Big Deal?

2011-09-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

Contribution by Terrance Kirby

I don’t understand what all the fuss is about when it comes to the housing market– our place has totally retained its value. We’ve got a really good friend who’s a realtor and she told us the other day how much she think we could sell it for and it was actually more than we bought the place for only three years ago! I’ve added a lot of things to it, too, like Direct tv and granite countertops and a lot of additional stuff too. I think that helped. But either way I’m just glad to know that we’re not going to lose our shirts on this place like I thought we would and some of our friends have. I love having this home though and I’ve got no intention of selling it because it really fits our lifestyle here and honestly, you can’t really beat the location it’s in. I wish my wife felt the same way but I think I’ll be able to talk her into it if I keep trying my hardest!

This has been a paid guest post. Family Caregiver does not necessarily endorse the products or services offered by this guest poster.

Family Dinner Night Contest

2011-09-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

I came across an article a few minutes ago that I think is worthy of sharing with anyone that knows a senior that could use a little company.

Home Instead Senior Care in White Rock, BC is having a recipe contest for local community members. The contest encourages local families to prepare a meal that they share with a senior loved one, then write the recipe and a story about what makes it special to be entered by September 15th into the contest, with winning entries published online and in a cookbook that will be on sale for the 2011 holiday season.

I think it is a wonderful idea that any senior or caregiver support group could implement to encourage spending more family dinner time with seniors and possibly expand on so that someone makes a special dinner for a caregiver and their care recipient, then creates a family story that can be included in a family scrapbook to remember the occasion.

$162,000 grant to help families of returning soldiers

2011-09-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

In an effort to help the families of returning soldiers cope with a variety of health issues that can include traumatic brain injury and combat related physical disability, the Johnson & Johnson company has awarded a $162,000 grant to the Rosalynn Carter Institute to assist families in caring for returning veterans.

“Family Caregivers are the VA’s (Veterans Affairs) partners in providing world class health care to Veterans,” said Deborah Amdur, Veterans Affairs’ chief consultant for care management and social work. “We understand the significant sacrifices involved in family caregiving. VA offers a range of caregiver programs and services to ensure that family caregivers have the tools and support they need.

Established in 1987 at Georgia Southwestern in honor of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, the Rosalynn Carter Institute Through research, education and training, the RCI promotes the mental health and well being of individuals, families and professional caregivers; encourages effective caregiving practices; builds public awareness of caregiving needs; and advances public and social policies that enhance caring communities.

Fire destroys home of Sir Richard Branson

2011-08-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

I was reading an article at CNN about how lightning sparked a fire that destroyed the Caribbean island home of Sir Richard Branson.The article mentioned that amoung some 20 guests at the home at the time of the fire was actress Kate Winslet, who was mentioned in an e-mailed statement by Branson:

"Many thanks to Kate Winslet for helping carry my 90-year(-old) mum out of the main house to safety."

I feel awful for Sir Branson and his mother that the home was destroyed, but I also feel exceptionally proud of Winslet for having assisted Branson in assuring the safety of his elderly mother.

Return to College

2011-08-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking about going back to college to get a degree in nursing so that I can be a better caregiver. I'm not so interested in being a nurse in some doctor's office or hospital as I am in better taking care of someone in situation that allows them to stay in their own home as long as possible.

The one thing my mom and dad had wanted was to be able to stay in their own home, so now I want to be able to honor their memories by making that possible for other seniors who desire to stay in their own homes. I also want to be able to assist new caregivers in working their way through the system in taking care of their loved ones. For both, I am thinking nursing classes are likely my best course to pursue.

Returning to School?

2011-08-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking about going back to college to seek a nursing degree. I know that I enjoy being a caregiver, and it is what I would like to continue to do, so I am thinking that going back to school now that I am able to provide care part time rather than 24-7 might be a good way to increase my knowledge of health care and get better work as a caregiver. For caring for my family it was okay to go with what I leaned from healthcare professionals along the way, but for caring for others I really do need to take some official type classes in nursing.

My other option is to take classes in legal stuff to be a paralegal, I'm not sure which one I will aim for, possibly - if I can - I will look for majoring in nursing and maybe a minor in law for paralegal work specific to caregivers.

New Study says Family Caregivers are undervalued

2011-08-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

I doubt if there are any family caregivers or recipients out there that will be surprised by the findings of a new study done by AARP's Public Policy Institute that found that, were family caregivers in just Connecticut had been paid for their work as caregivers for 2009, they would have made around... $8,150 each.

Now mind you, that is 711,000 unpaid caregivers in JUST Connecticut that are providing care to a parent, family member or friend. Nationwide the report determined that family caregivers providing care to their loved ones in 2009 lost an estimated $450 billion dollars in income.

In 2009 the estimated value per hour for care was calculated by AARP to be $11.16 an hour. This is what a stranger would have been paid to provide the same services for one hour. I know that when I took care of my father, I would have accepted $5 an hour for the hours that I provided caregiver assistance to him - but as his daughter, it was assumed by every agency and medical provider I spoke to that I would just provide care to him for no compensation - despite the fact that they would have paid a stranger to care for him. Something that both him and my mother did not want.

Thankfully, my father was a 21 year veteran of the Army and had attained full Social Security benefits by the time he retired, so by the time him and my mom required care they owned their own house where I was able to live with them, supplementing their income through my work as a freelance writer.

Not all family caregivers have the same situation I had, far too many are attempting to care for a loved one, often one that has significant special needs, who has little or no disability or Social Security benefits, on what income the care provider can manage to make in their part time. On that small income they are attempting to provide for their family, pay a mortgage or rent, and still keep the bills paid. It is an impossible task that leaves people that had thought they had saved for their future slipping slowly toward debt.

In an article at ctpost.com, Brenda Kelley, the State director of AARP Connecticut, is quoted as saying:

"If the caregivers in this country fell apart, then our long-term care system would fall apart -- because, that is our long-term care system,"

And yet,companies such as Johnson & Johnson focus their kudos on those in the nursing career. After having been a family caregiver, I consider the unpaid caregivers to be the real heroes of the care system.

Cooking is my New Hobby

2011-06-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the post from Sylvester Campbell

I really like to cook, as I think I’ve told you guys before, and I’ve recently been watching a lot of cooking shows on TV. I especially like anything starring Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessasince I think what she makes is just divine! I can’t afford half of the ingredients she uses but I would give anything to spend a weekend at her Hamptons house! Ever since I got DIRECT.TV I get the Food Network, so I’ve been spending a lot of time watching things like the Next Food Network Star and shows like that. I would love if I was able to star in my own television cooking show but for now I guess I’ll just hang out in my home kitchen and keep cooking for my own family! I know they don’t mind and sometimes I let my daughter sit in front of me while I narrate for her what I’m doing. Maybe I’m destined to have my own cooking show, after all! You never know!

Department of Health and Human Services Drops Plans to Secretly Shop for Doctors

2011-06-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

A few days ago the news was leaked that the Government was intending to secretly make appointments to see doctors. It was a secret shopper style program where doctors offices across nine different states would be called by a survey group from the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. The goal of the proposed plan was to determine if there was any form of bias in doctor's offices that were accepting new patients based on what kind of health care coverage the prospective patient claimed to have.

On Tuesday, following an outcry from politicians and doctors, a spokesman for Health and Human Services stated, “After reviewing feedback received during the public comment period, we have determined that now is not the time to move forward with this research project. Instead, we will pursue other initiatives that build on our efforts to increase access to health care providers nationwide.”

Have you heard about the $10,000 Caregiver of the Year Award?

2011-06-22T19:45:00.000-07:00

I was looking at Caregiver related headlines and spied this brow lifting bit...

Caregiver Of The Year Award Seeks Entries For $10,000 Award

It seems that the Homewatch CareGivers and the National Family Caregiver Association (NFCA) have cosponsored the National Family Caregiver of the Year Award to help honor the sacrifices that caregivers make in caring for their loved ones.

Find out more about the Family Caregiver Award in this article. People have until July 29, 2011 to nominate caregivers and the caregiver needs to have provided care for the individual within the 12 Months preceding July 29, 2011.

Topamax Lawsuit

2011-06-09T21:55:00.000-07:00

March 4, 2011 – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety announcement on Topamax, a topiramate drug used, either alone or in combination with other drugs, in the treatment of epileptic seizures and to prevent migraine headaches.

The announcement is based on information collected from human data that lead the FDA to reclassify topiramates, such as Topamax, from a Pregnancy Category C drug, to a Pregnancy Category D drug.

Pregnancy Category C drugs are those that testing indicated may cause birth defects, while a Pregnancy Category D drug is one that has shown positive evidence for risks to the fetus based on data gathered from human usage.

If you took Topamax while pregnant, you could have just cause to file a Topamax lawsuit for compensation to assist in paying the costly medical bills needed to treat your child's birth defect. Personal injury lawyers O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath would like to invite you to contact them for a consultation.

O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath
Personal Injury Lawyers
808 West Avenue
Austin, TX. 78701

phone: 512-494-9949

Note that in their safety announcement the FDA stated that there are cases where the risks of taking Topamax, and other topiramates, by pregnant women may be acceptable due to the specific benefits of the drug in the treatment of epileptic seizures.

Exercise can help prevent silent stroke

2011-06-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

Rresearchers at New York's Columbia University and Florida's University of Miami have published a study that included roughly 1,200 older people, most in their 60's, who had no history of stroke at enrollment. Each participant completed a questionnaire that included questions on how often and how intensely they exercised.

After six years, with the average range of participants now at age 70, the participants were given magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans. Approximately 16% of the participants (197 persons) had small lesions that were indicative of what are called silent strokes.

Those who had reported they engaged in moderate to intense exercise were found to be 40% less likely to have lesions than people that did not exercise. The difference remained the same even after researchers included other factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Light exercise, defined as activities such as golf, walking, bowling and dancing, while having health benefits, did not seem to have any contributing factors in lowering the risk of silent strokes.

So, what is needed to help lower the risk of stroke? The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity exercise, or 75 minutes of intense activity. Moderate to intense activities include activities such as brisk walking, gardening, housework, swimming, jogging, hiking, biking or tennis. The important factor is to work with you healthcare professional to create a plan for you, based on your health needs and fitness level, that will help you meet the suggested activity level or work up to that level.

FDA Warns 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) may increase risk of high-grade prostate cancer

2011-06-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning today about several drugs that can increase the risk of prostate cancer.

The drugs are known as 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) and are a class of prescription medication used in the treatment of the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men. The FDA statement says that the drugs affected by today's warning are:

Drugs in this class are finasteride (marketed as Proscar [finasteride 5 mg] and Propecia [finasteride 1 mg]) and dutasteride (marketed as Avodart). Dutasteride is also available in combination with tamsulosin under the brand name Jalyn.

Avodart, Jalyn, and Proscar are indicated for the treatment of BPH symptoms in men with an enlarged prostate. Avodart and Proscar are also approved to reduce the risk of urinary retention or surgery related to BPH.

Propecia is only indicated for the treatment of male pattern hair loss in men.

The lables of all 5-ARIs are being revised based on two studies that examined rather Proscar and Avodart reduced the risk of prostate cancer. The studies confirmed an overall reduction in the risk of lower-grade forms of prostate cancer, however, they also showed an increased risk for high-grade prostate cancer.

The FDA advises anyone taking 5-ARIs to consult their healthcare professionals about the risks and benefits of the medications and possible alternate medications that might have the same benefits. Men are encouraged to not stop taking medications unless directed to by their healthcare professional.

FDA Safety Announcement on Topamax and Pregnancy

2011-06-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

The FDA recently issued a safety announcement for the prescription drug Topamax, concerning the risk of birth defects when taken by pregnant women.

The law office of personal injury lawyers O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath would like to alert parents of children born with a cleft palate or related birth defects that the birth defect might not be their fault, instead it could be the result of known side effects of the drug Topamax if the mother took the prescription medication during the first trimester - a period when the mother may not even have known yet that she was pregnant.

If you feel that the prescription medication Topamax might have been responsible for your child being born with a birth defect the law office of O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath would like to invite you to contact them for a free Topamax lawsuit consultation:

O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath
Personal Injury Lawyers
808 West Avenue
Austin, TX. 78701

phone: 512-494-9949

Note that in their safety announcement the FDA stated that there are cases where the risks of taking Topamax, and other topiramates, by pregnant women may be acceptable due to the specific benefits of the drug in the treatment of epileptic seizures.

Ankle Pain

2011-05-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

I first learned about ankle care early one morning when my father was in a rehab center after a major stroke. Not long after my mom and I arrived we noticed swelling of one of his ankles. We questioned the nurses, who had not noticed it, and it was finally sorted out that he had to have sprained his ankle the night before when one of the evening nurses had assisted him out of bed and to the bathroom.

After that I learned all about how to care for a sprained ankle and more importantly how to prevent one through high alertness when assisting someone in standing and transferring.

If you have someone that has weakened ankles or poor balance, then I strongly suggest you read over information such as the Ankle Pain - Treatment page at the University of Maryland Medical Center to familiarize yourself with the varying causes of ankle pain and the ways to treat is - and when to call a doctor.

Are You Prepared for Zombies? The CDC can help make sure

2011-05-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, I realize that it sounds like a joke, but this is actually very serious.

The CDC understands the concerns that everyone has in keeping their family safe in the event of a zombie apocalypse. If there were an emergency that demanded defending the general public against zombies the CDC is prepared to take action. On their Zombies Blog the CDC assures the public that in the event of an emergency the CDC is prepared to work with local emergency response teams to minimize the danger to the public as quickly as possible through consultation, lab testing and infection control.

You should be warned that there could be the possibility of isolation and quarantine to help control the spread of zombies, so visit the CDC website and familiarize yourself with how such an action might affect you and what you should know before the CDC calls for something as drastic as quarantine or isolation.

The CDC will be relentless in its efforts to get ahead of the issue and understand if it is a virus, toxin or other treatable kind of pathogen that is creating the zombie uprising. They will also be tracking reported incidents in an effort to get ahead of the wave and stop the spread of zombies. Once they understand how the zombie cycle works, how the infection or pathogen is spread, they will be better equipped to advise the general public on measures that can be taken to protect themselves from becoming the next zombie.

Please note that it is a good idea to visit the CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response page and familiarize yourself with the various specific hazards such as bioterrorism (zombies are likely to spread much like a bioterrorism threat), radiation emergencies (because radiation has long been thought to be one of the causes of zombies rising), chemical emergencies (another possible cause for zombies), and natural disasters such as severe weather issues. Any disease caused by zombies would spread faster in areas affected by natural disasters and flooding.

Also make sure that you are familiar with the mass casualties event preparedness and response - because zombies are going to cause a lot of casualties and it is quite likely there will be mass panic in the cities as people attempt to flee ahead of the uprising or to loot businesses after the initial wave of zombies has passed.

Perhaps the most important thing is to make sure that you are prepared for coping with a tragic event, because there is going to be a lot of disruption and panic and trauma in the wake of a zombie attack in your area.

Chances are we will never have to suffer the horror of a zombie uprising, however, it is best to prepare for the worst case scenario and have a survival kit ready. If you are fully prepared to deal with the zombie uprising, then you will be able to handle almost any other hazard that might otherwise leave your life and the lives f your friends and family in upheaval.

It is all about being prepared, and I know that my parents would have gladly pitched in in creating a zombie preparedness kit and a plan for where the members of the family were to meet up in the event of such an emergency.

Hopefully be working sometime soon

2011-05-17T23:22:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow I go in for the orientation to be hired on as a caregiver. FINALLY. I have been trying to get this job since last year, and was supposed to have been hired in January according to the State of Alaska. Things just keep dragging slowly along, though, and now tomorrow I go through orientation and they send off my prints to have a Federal Background check done on them, then when they get that back they'll officially hire me.

VA helping out family caregivers of post 9/11 veterans

2011-05-10T23:54:00.000-07:00

The VA has started helping out post 9/11 family caregivers.

From the VA website:

VA now provides additional support to eligible post-9/11 Veterans who elect to receive their care in a home setting from a primary Family Caregiver. Eligible primary Family Caregivers can receive a stipend, training, mental health services, and access to health insurance if they are not already under a health care plan.

Assistance with the application process is available. Caregiver Support Coordinators are stationed at every VA Medical Center; or dial toll-free 1-877-222 VETS (8387).

Also see the new support line:

National Caregiver Support Line

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs is pleased to announce the launch of a toll-free National Caregiver Support Line 1-855-260-3274.

It looks like the VA is starting to do more for Family Caregivers, its just a shame they have all but failed to help out the rapidly dwindling numbers of WWII vets that could have used a bit more help. Even now, the first program they have up there are for veterans AFTER 9/11, I still can't find where they offer similar help for the family caregivers of veterans pre-9/11 going back to the Greatest Generation, even though in talking about Family Caregivers the Secretary of Veterans Affairs states:

...Their sacrifice is enormous, every day, year after year, for Veterans, who safeguarded this Nation. Caregivers are our indispensable partners in Veteran’s healthcare, and they deserve our support.

Eye Exams - get a baseline exam at age 40

2011-05-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology everyone should get a baseline eye exam at age 40, even if they do not have any risk factors for eye disease.

They recommend a screening exam during a regular pediatric appointment before age three. And suggest children have eye screenings between the ages of 3 and 19, then at least one full exam by age 29 and two more full exams by age 39. Various risk factors and chances of injury to the eyes can make more frequent exams necessary, but these are the baselines.

Then at age 40 it is recommended that everyone have a baseline exam even if they have no signs of trouble or risk factors. 40 marks a point when doctors can detect early signs or disease or vision changes that are starting to occur and can discuss proper times between follow-up exams with the patient.

Starting at age 65 it is important for the eyes to be examined on a yearly basis to watch for cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration among other age related eye issues.

For more information see Eye Exams at the American Academy of Ophthalmology website.

Soon I will be working again

2011-05-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

It has been a long road, but with any luck this time next month I will be working as a caregiver - only this time the position will be a paid position. I'm going to need to keep working at a second job, since the care position is not going to provide enough income to pay my bills all on its own.

At least I will be working again and that will count toward my social security and medicare - or at least it had better. I really don't want to end up discovering that it does not count toward those. I assume it will, since I am going through a third party service and will be paid by the State of Alaska rather than the service I am working for. But I need to remember to ask the people at the service about that.

Right now I am just thrilled to be working soon, I have been hoping through hoops for this job since last December and unable to look for work elsewhere because each time it has been "you'll be hired in about a month..." and then that has been followed up by another delay. I think the delays are all out of the way now though, so I should be working soon.

Water and Proper Hydration Concerns?

2011-04-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

Do you really have to make sure that your care recipient drinks eight full glasses of water every day?

The simple answer? Probably not unless their doctor says that you do. And even then, it might be less water than you expect.

An average sized drinking glass out of my kitchen cabinet holds 1 2/3 cups of water, with one cup being 8 ounces. So a standard glass of water is almost two servings out of the 8 servings recommended to keep properly hydrated.

Drink 5 water glasses full of water in a day, or 5 bottles of water, and you most likely have drank your recommended allotment of water for the day. But it is not even that simple, since the water does not all have to come from clear water. That tea your mother had with breakfast can count towards water intake. Yes, the tea and lemon and sugar all change it a bit, but there is still water needed for remaining hydrated in the cup of tea.

Water intake needs vary based on many factors, and on how much water is in the things we eat or drink. If you are concerned about keeping your care recipient properly hydrated then you should consult their primary care physician to find out how their hydration levels are doing and to advise you on the proper plan for dietary and water intake. Something that not many people consider is that too much water can also be a danger under the wrong circumstances, so if you have concerns about hydration in your loved one ask about it the next time you accompany them to the doctor's office.

Depuy lawsuit

2011-04-22T23:11:00.000-07:00

Chances are you have heard of DePuy Orthopedics, and if not then you have no doubt heard of their parent company - Johnson & Johnson. DePuy Orthopedics provides orthopedic devices for hip, knee and extremities. The August 26, 2010 recall affects over 90,000 hip replacement systems identified as the ASR™ XL Acetabular System and DePuy ASR™ Hip Resurfacing System used in hip replacement surgery.

O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath knows that big companies might not always be prompt in providing the care promised during such recalls, so would like to reach out to anyone that has been affected by the DePuy Orthopedics recall. If you think that you might need some help, or might need to be part of a Depuy lawsuit product liability claim, then O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath invites you to contact them at the above link or using the below information:

O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath
Personal Injury Lawyers
808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701
512-494-9949

CHAOS

2011-04-22T00:21:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while a show that is just flat great comes out, and it just as quickly vanishes.

That is what happened with CHAOS, a new CBS comedic drama about a group of old school CIA operatives that premiered April 1st of this year. The show made it for three aired episodes, then CBS yanked it out of the lineup because they disliked the fact that it's viewership were not in their 18-49 demographic range.

Maybe there should be some advertisers targeting the older viewership on occasion? Because CHAOS had good viewer levels, just not in the 18-49 segment apparently - which is the segment that wants to be out in the bars at 8pm Friday - which is when they aired CHAOS.

CBS either needs to target the right ads to that timeslot, or they need to move CHAOS to a good fit for what its viewer audience is, because it is a great show that really deserves to be given a chance to prove itself.

I would dearly love to see it picked up by USA and paired with Burn Notice, that would make a nice pairing.

How to create a caregiver book

2011-04-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

When I was taking care of my dad there came a point where one of my sisters was to take care of him for a few weeks until my mom and I drove a car out the Al-Can to pick up my dad at my sister's place and go for a trip with him in the Lower 48.

Before my sister took my dad, I created a small booklet on the computer that she could take and read so that she was up to speed on what she needed to know about his dietary restrictions and his medications and what to expect from him as she took care of him for a few weeks.

The care only lasted almost a week, but the creation of the caregiver booklet is something that I think any caregiver should consider for when they have someone else taking care of a loved one.

Basically it was a letter from me explaining what the booklet was for.
A page on what my dad liked to eat for snacks.
Information on what he could not eat because of medications or other dietary restrictions.
Some information that was specific to taking care of him, such as how he preferred to be assisted when he transferred from bed to wheelchair and similar things.
A list of what he enjoyed watching on television, and what radio show he liked to listen to as he went to bed at night - with a note that he slept better if he had a nightlight and the radio was left on overnight rather than turned off.

I also included information on his contact information for his primary physician and a basic health history that covered things that might be asked by a hospital, just in case.
A list of what dad's medications were along with information on dosage and what each medication was for.
With that was a standing order from his doctor for a lab test on a few medications that needed their levels monitored by a lab.

Add in a timeline of what can be expected for a few days worth of average care and my sister was armed with everything I could think of that she might need while taking care of our dad.

Even if someone is not taking care of your loved one, I would suggest making up a small booklet that can be kept in an easy to find place so that if something does happen and you need to spend a little time in the hospital or have to go somewhere and leave someone else providing the care you normally provide, you don't have to spend precious time explaining things. The stand-in caregiver can be left a handbook specific to your loved one.

It has been a while

2011-04-08T22:30:00.000-07:00

I know that I haven't been to this blog for a while, but life has been rather crazy since my dad passed away. I have been trying to sort things out and get everything figured out for how to save my parents' house, not sure if I am having much luck at it or not, but I do know I'm not exactly getting a lot of help with it, so... we'll see how it works out. I'm not giving up on trying to save it.

High Blood Pressure

2010-12-04T19:27:00.000-08:00

If there is one thing I learned while I was taking care of my dad, it is that it is important to know what high blood pressure symptoms are and now to know when you have high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is caused by poor diet, obesity, inactivity, and stress ~ which makes me four times susceptible to having high blood pressure. It can be battled by exercise, proper diet and medications.

Keep alert to the warning signs of high blood pressure. High blood pressure symptoms include: headache, fatigue or confusion, chest pain, pounding in chest neck or ears, and difficulty breathing.

If you suspect you might have high blood pressure, consult your doctor to find out and what your treatment options are.

Hard Candy Christmas and a Better Class of Losers

2010-12-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

I went in the other room for a few minutes after posting that last post, came back and put radio headphones back on to find Dolly Parton singing Hard Candy Christmas. Seems to me a very fitting song. Have to wonder if there was some kind of hint from mom and dad that I should decorate for the holidays even if no one else will see the tree and decorations.

Although, as I write this, I am listening to Randy Travis sing "Better Class of Losers"... hmmm.... hint to screw the snobby family types and go hang with my own better class of losers?

Hard Candy Christmas
Dolly Parton
[Lyrics from Cowboy Lyrics]

Hey, maybe I'll dye my hair
Maybe I'll move somewhere
Maybe I'll get a car
Maybe I'll drive so far
They'll all lose track
Me, I'll bounce right back

Maybe I'll sleep real late
Maybe I'll lose some weight
Maybe I'll clear my junk
Maybe I'll just get drunk on apple wine
Me, I'll be just

Fine and Dandy
Lord it's like a hard candy Christmas
I'm barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won't let
Sorrow bring me way down

I'll be fine and dandy
Lord it's like a hard candy Christmas
I'm barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won't let
Sorrow get me way down

Hey, maybe I'll learn to sew
Maybe I'll just lie low
Maybe I'll hit the bars
Maybe I'll count the stars until dawn
Me, I will go on

Maybe I'll settle down
Maybe I'll just leave town
Maybe I'll have some fun
Maybe I'll meet someone
And make him mine
Me, I'll be just

Fine and dandy
Lord it's like a hard candy Christmas
I'm barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won't let
Sorrow bring me way down

I'll be fine and dandy
Lord it's like a hard candy Christmas
I'm barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won't let
Sorrow bring me way down

I'll be fine and dandy
Lord it's like a hard candy Christmas
I'm barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won't let
Sorrow bring me way down

'Cause I'll be fine
(I'll be fine)
Oh, I'll be fine

Better Class of Losers
Randy Travis
[Lyrics from Cowboy Lyrics]

I'm getting out of this high-rise penthouse suite
Where we pretend life's rosy and sweet
I'm going back to the folks that I used to know
Where everyone is what they seems to be

And these high-class friends that you like to hang around
When they look my way they're always looking down
I'm tired of spending every dime I make
To finance this way of life I've learned to hate

I'm going back to a better class of loser
This up-town living's really got me down
I need friends who don't pay their bills on home computers
And who buy their coffee beans already ground
You think it's disgraceful that they drink three-dollar wine
But a better class of loser suits me fine

You say the grass is greener on the other side
From where I stand I can't see grass at all
And the concrete and the steel won't change the way you feel
It takes more than caviar to have a ball

I'm going back to a better class of loser
This up-town living's really got me down
I need friends who don't pay their bills on home computers
And who buy their coffee beans already ground
You think it's disgraceful that they drink three-dollar wine
But a better class of loser suits me fine

You think it's disgraceful that they drink three-dollar wine
But a better class of loser suits me fine

Home for the holidays is not the same

2010-12-04T18:35:00.000-08:00

I had always loved the holidays. From Halloween through to New Years was the happiest time of the year for me. I collected decorations and decorated the house and porch and out into the yard.

I don't live in an area where anyone actually sees the decorations, it has always been for my parents. This year, with both my mom and my dad passed away, the winter time is just cold. I look around and think about decorating the house, but... it really does not make much sense anymore. I can't get up the desire to decorate when no one else is around to enjoy the decorations.

I'm not sure yet if I should force myself to decorate as usual and make the traditional candies and cookies that me and mom always made, or if I should just leave the house undecorated and not make anything.

Halloween and Thanksgiving both passed mostly unnoticed. My nephew brought me over a plate of dinner from my brother's house, and my oldest sister invited me to drive down to her place, but I declined to go out in lousy weather to visit with people that never have any interest in spending any time with me or helping me when I ask for a little help.

This year, for the first time ever, as I think of a perfect Christmas it is not one where I am with my family. I find that as Christmas approaches I think more of being able to share the season with my friends. They say that home is where the heart is, and for me, I am starting to think it is no longer here with people that do not care about me unless they have something to gain from it, my home feels more and more like it is thousands of miles away with people that ask me how I am doing and call me if they have not been in touch with me for a few days to a week.

I was raised to believe that family is all that matters. I watched my mom struggle to ensure that my older brothers and sisters each had a home to live in and raise their families. Now it hurts that two out of four of my siblings refuse to help me try to save my parents' house, have gone so far as to tell me to just give up because they would work against me if they did anything, and one of the other two is simply not taking a position on anything to do with it.

Yeah... Christmas is quickly replacing Valentine's Day as my least favorite holiday. At least at Valentine's Day I am only reminded that I do not have a man to hold me, for Christmas I am reminded that I have barely any family that cares and all my friends are too far away.... and I don't have a man that can hold me.

Yeah. Christmas time sucks.

A Message from personal injury lawyers O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath

2010-10-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

You work hard to take care of your care recipient, but what if you could not get up to do everything you need to? One of my greatest fears as a caregiver was that my hip or knee would weaken and fail me at a time when I was helping my father during a transfer or to walk.

I have been having problems off and on with my hips for years, leaving me concerned that one day I might become a candidate for hip replacement surgery. That is not something I look forward to, particularly not with things such as the recent Depuy recall on the ASR XL Acetabular Hip System and the DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System by DePuy Orthopedics.

On August 26, 2010, DePuy Orthopedics issued a voluntary recall on the ASR XL Acetabular Hip System and the DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System used in hip replacement surgery. The products included in the voluntary recall affected roughly 1 in 8 hip replacement patients who had surgery in or after July 2003 and required a second surgery within five years of their initial hip replacement surgery.

The law offices of personal injury lawyers O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath, would like to invite you to contact them, information below, or to visit their website at the included link, and find out how they can assist you with your liability claim if you had hip surgery involving a DePuy product after July 2003.

O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath
Personal Injury Lawyers
808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701
Phone: 512-494-9949

This post was sponsored by O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath

Where to take the blog now

2010-10-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

I do not want to end this blog just because I am no longer the caregiver for my parents, so I am working out what direction I will take it in. At the moment I am thinking to continue to focus on information that I see in the news that would be of interest to family caregivers, and to share my knowledge as a family caregiver with others that are starting into the most difficult and rewarding thing they will ever do.

I am open to any suggestions that others might have for me on what to do with the blog, and thank you to those who have put up with my roller coaster of ups and downs over the past years as I scattered back and forth over a wide range of efforts to write through insanity and stress.

Packing the house

2010-09-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried to pack up a lifetime of memories? That is the situation I find myself in right now. What do I pack up? What do I keep out? What will I need in the next few months? What do I want out where I can see it, vs what do I want ready to be stored away in a storage place on short notice?

I am going to start with the things put away in the basement and bring them up one load at a time to sort through them and repack everything. I need to create a stash of things that can be sold, and things that are to be stored away. Or maybe I would be better off to start with the sheds. Wherever I start, I need to get things sorted and either ready to sell to help pay off the house, or put away in storage.

Fighting to keep my parents' house

2010-09-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

I don't want to lose my parent's house, but I'm also enough of a realist to know that after a lifetime of being a family caregiver I have a very bad credit history and nothing that a bank would even consider when it comes to extending trust to me on a home loan.

I am going to be working on getting my writing career back on track now that I am not dedicating 24-7 of my time to helping my dad, and on starting up a bookbinding business for hand binding and repairing books.

Diversify your portfolio with precious metals

2010-09-27T14:22:00.001-07:00

Every day that passes is another day that you are closer to your own retirement. As a family caregiver it can be difficult to save for the future, and that means that you need to be sure that you make the right investments.

If you want to diversify your portfolio with the purchase of silver, gold or other precious metals and coins, it is as easy as visiting the United States Gold Bureau website. Their hard asset professionals can assist you in the purchase of precious metals that can be delivered to you via immediate personal delivery, or you can arrange for your investment to be placed in storage at an independent bank or depository. As an investment product, precious metals such as silver and gold bullion are excellent ways to diversify any portfolio.

Started in 2003, United States Gold Bureau was incorporated as an LLC in Austin Texas in 2008. Their large, dedicated staff of hard asset professionals are committed to serving your precious metals investment needs and provide their customers with competitively priced precious metals.

To find out more about the United States Gold Bureau visit their website at the link above.

Note that no investment, even one in a precious metal such as gold, is without some risk. Enter into any investment with care and careful planning. The United States Gold Bureau is not associated with the United States government.

Wait, I need an EIN tax number?

2010-09-27T13:42:00.001-07:00

I talked to the IRS about my dad's taxes, and it seems that I will need to get him an EIN number, usually used for businesses, so that I can file his final return. I have to get some more research done on this, but it was not something I had expected to need. This came directly from one of the ladies on the IRS help line, though, so I will be doing more looking and share whatever I find out about that with everyone when I get that sorted out.

Working on a handbook for insurance for the elderly

2010-09-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be looking into some of the pros and cons of getting life insurance, particularly those ones you see advertised on television late at night. I want to sort through my experience and compare that to some online research I need to do, see just what ones are the best insurance to look into for someone that wants to make arrangements for being paid for caregiver duties out of life insurance.

That had been supposed to be how my dad was going to pay me, unfortunately all of the insurance companies we worked with demanded at least 2 years of active policy for any kind of maturity on the policy, and it did not reach the 2 year minimum on any of them, so I am still awaiting how that will all work out.

I intend, when I have everything sorted out, to create a handbook for caregivers so that others are not caught up in the same fumbling along situation I was caught up in.

Gold bullion

2010-09-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

My parents gave me a love of reading, and that spread into a love of words, so, is it any wonder that with all of my talking about things such as "gold bullion" and stuff for the United States Gold Bureau, I begin to wonder exactly what "bullion" means?

The term "bullion" refers to a mass of precious metal that has been formed into an easily sortable shape such as bars or coins. For example, you might say that a pile of gold in a safe is comprised of "stacked bars of gold bullion".

If you want to have your own stacks of gold bullion in your safe, or even in an independent bank or depository, then the hard asset professionals at the United States Gold Bureau can assist you. They are ready and waiting to help you in the purchase of precious metals for investment, then can assist you in arranging for home delivery or safe storage at an independent bank or depository.

Started in 2003, and incorporated as an LLC in Austin Texas in 2008, the United States Gold Bureau provides its customers with competitively prices precious metals. The United States Gold Bureau is not associated with the United States government. To find out more about the United States Gold Bureau visit their website at the link above.

Note that no investment, even one in a precious metal such as gold, is without some risk. Enter into any investment with care and careful planning.

November is National Family Caregiver Month

2010-09-27T02:44:00.000-07:00

Start getting ready now for ways that you can assist family caregivers that you know, even if it is just a simple thank you card, or as nice as a few hours of sitting visiting with the care recipient while the caregiver sleeps or otherwise relaxes.

Another thing that you can do is to write to your congressman and ask them to please support bills that help family caregivers.

Made my own throat drops

2010-09-27T02:40:00.000-07:00

I made up a batch of hard candies that I'm using as a combination cough suppressant and sore throat lozenge.

Easy to make if you are familiar with how to make hard candy.

I just used a orange herbal tea bag to make a very strong tea infusion. Added a bit of ground ginger and some sugar and corn syrup. Boiled to a hard crack stage and poured onto a buttered marble cutting board.

1 1/2 cups of tea infusion
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup

Bring all ingredients to a boil on stove, turn heat down (but maintain at a steady boil). Continue to boil until temperature reaches 250 degrees (hard ball stage). Pour onto buttered marble board and score with knife to drop sized pieces. Break apart when cool and wrap each piece in a small rectangle of wax paper.

Investing in Gold Coin

2010-09-25T23:35:00.000-07:00

My family seems to have some sort of inability to understand that I am here, at midlife, and have nothing to show for it. When I tried to point that out to them they seemed to think that I was the better off of the lot for not having had personal relationships or any chance to have children or been able to work at any job that would allow me to earn Social Security points.

I'm now looking toward what I can do, in the next ten or fifteen years, that would allow me to retire with the same level of retirement security as someone that had worked for 35 to 40 years. It's not easy. Saving for the future is all about making the right investments. Which is where investments in things like gold coin and billion come into the picture.

The United States Gold Bureau is able to assist you with you precious metals investment needs and has hard asset professionals that are ready and waiting to assist you in the purchase of investment products such as silver or gold coin or bullion, then assist you in arranging for home delivery or safe storage at an independent bank or depository.

Note that no investment, even one in a precious metal such as gold, is without some risk. Enter into any investment with care and careful planning. The United States Gold Bureau is not associated with the United States government.

In Memory Of My Beloved Father: Billy L. Fikes (1928-2010)

2010-09-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

When I began my family caregiver website and blogs it was as a way to chronicle what I discovered as a caregiver for my father, and to help raise awareness about family caregiving.

My father passed away earlier this month, and in honor of him and my mom, I will continue to maintain my family caregiver site and blogs so that I might pass along the things I learned as a caregiver to others who are going to be taking on this most difficult of acts of love for their own loved ones.

Group Caregiving

2010-08-29T03:12:00.000-07:00

I was browsing around the internet and came across this list of group caregiving resources to provide help for family caregivers at www.fullcirclecare.org

It lists a series of websites that focus on ways for family members to assist in the tasks of providing care to a loved one. It is a wonderful concept, and one that I tried a few times to organize within the sphere of my own family, but the first thing that is required is that the other members of the family want to be involved in the care of the care recipient. That is the part I can not yet figure out how to achieve.

CNN Heroes: helping the elderly

2010-06-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

Each year CNN salutes every day heroes that make a difference in the world. This year one of the CNN Heroes nominees is a lady from New York that is making a difference for the elderly in her area.

Irene Zola coordinates a program that pairs the elderly in her neighborhood with volunteers that assist the senior citizens in remaining at home.

For more information on this CNN Hero, check out the full story at CNN Heroes on CNN.com.

Financial Assistance for Caregivers Taking Care of Parents

2010-05-02T16:13:00.000-07:00

An anonymous reader asked me:

"I need to get fianancial assistance for taking care of my parents- - where do I go to receive such benefits." - anonymous

This would actually depend on where you live and what your situation is, but I will do my best to offer a broad spectrum answer here.

A bill was just passed through the Senate that allows caregivers to veterans injured in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001 to receive assistance from the VA. I am thrilled to see that bill get passed, but, realistically, it does little for the rest of us. I care for an 80 year old WWII veteran, but the bill does nothing for me that I have been able to discern so far.

Assuming that you are not caring for a veteran, then the place I would start is your local Public Assistance office. If you are low income, then you should qualify to receive a monthly food stamp stipend to help you afford to eat more healthy, which really *REALLY* helps out when healthy food can cost so much more than junk food - especially if you are looking for fast to grab stuff you can snack on during a too busy day.

I know that in my situation, I qualify for a small amount of food stamp assistance, but nothing else. No medical or financial aid or anything like that. I would gladly give up the food help for a once a year visit with a doctor too.

Even if the public assistance office can't help you, they should be able to point you toward what resources are available in your area.

If you are caring for a veteran, then your first stop should be the local Veteran's Administration office. Someone at the VA should be able to point you in the right direction.

In some states there are programs, which you can find through your local Public Assistance office, that allow family members to be paid for the care provided to a parent who receives medicaid. (NOTE: Medicaid is not the same as Medicare. My father gets Medicare, so I can not get any kind of assistance, because the local programs where I am all work through Medicaid only.)

I will provide more information on this later, but for now this should get you started. Thanks for the question.

Assistance for caregivers of those injured in line of duty after 9/11

2010-05-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

Good news for some family caregivers of veterans. A few days ago the VA Watchdog announced Senate Passes Family Caregiver Bill to Help Wounded Veterans and Their Families -- Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Press Release from VA Watchdog dot Org - 04-22-2010

You can read the actual bill that was passed the Caregivers
and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010, which is an act to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide assistance to caregivers of veterans, to improve the provision of health care to veterans, and for other purposes.

As I said, it will help some family caregivers of veteran's, with limitations as to what qualifies a veteran for the purposes of the bill.

Specifically:

‘‘(2) For purposes of this subsection, an eligible veteran is
any individual who—

‘‘(A) is a veteran or member of the Armed Forces undergoing medical discharge from the Armed Forces;
‘‘(B) has a serious injury (including traumatic brain injury, psychological trauma, or other mental disorder) incurred or aggravated in the line of duty in the active military, naval, or air service on or after September 11, 2001; and
‘‘(C) is in need of personal care services because of—
       ‘‘(i) an inability to perform one or more activities of daily living;
       ‘‘(ii) a need for supervision or protection based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury; or
       ‘‘(iii) such other matters as the Secretary considers appropriate.

So, to qualify for assistance, the caregiver needs to be the caregiver of a veteran who incurred serious injury, or had such an injury aggravated, in the line of active duty on or after September 11, 2001.

Gardening Time

2010-04-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Dad and I went to Fred Meyer yesterday to pick up his medications. Then we went to check out the seeds they have in there and he picked out all of the things he wants to get started for going in his garden.

Mom always did the plants and stuff, and dad wants to have a garden out in the yard, so I am leaving it to him to pick 99.9% of what we put in the garden.
So far we have:

Seeds I have saved:
Acorn Squash (I saved seeds from ones I bought)
Sugar Pumpkin for pies (Again, from seeds I saved in November)
Cantaloupe (if I can find the seeds I had saved)
Apples (from seeds saved from apples I bought)
Popcorn corn (from popcorn bag in pantry)
Red Potatoes from pantry
White potatoes from pantry

Seeds I got at Fred Meyer:
Nasturtiums (two trailing single, one Alaska mix)
Crimson Sweet Watermelon
Yellow straightneck squash (could not find crookneck)
Zucchini squash

Seeds Dad picked out for garden:
Sweet Corn - Early Sunglow
Pole Beans - stringless
Peppers - red and green (organic)
White bunching onions
Cucumber
Little finger carrots
Radish
Chives

We will, of course, add to this list after the start of May. Dad wants to pick up some tomato plants and strawberries and a lot of raspberry plants.

I think I better get to work getting the garden back in garden shape.

Gold Investing

2010-04-19T18:06:00.001-07:00

As the full-time caregiver for my dad, I have a lot of time to lean back in my chair and take a good long look at my life and thinking on where I want to be in my own retirement years. This, invariably, leads one to think about investment in retirement.

I know that it is a direct result of my mom's love of hunting for gold that has made gold one of my favorite investment possibilities.

Over the years the price of gold has risen steadily, even with occasional declines, which makes it an ideal investment for long term investing - particularly for investment for retirement. Those looking to diversify their portfolio might buy gold coins to be put in their private collection or deposited in a bank or depository.

The United States Gold Bureau, a precious metals investment company headquartered in Austin, Texas, can assist investors in buying gold and other precious metals in coin or ingot form, with the coins being available for personal delivery or the hard asset professionals an assist in arranging for storage in an independent bank or depository.

This post sponsored by United States Gold Bureau.

Stride Trainer

2010-04-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

I spent yesterday moving things around until I was able to unearth my Stride Trainer exercise machine in the bedroom. Now I have it where I can use it once again, and a determination that I am going to get on it for a few minutes at a time throughout the day - whenever I need to get up and stretch my legs. It lets me do some 'walking' while still being in the house where I can hear my dad if he needs me for something.

I'm contemplating now setting it up where I can walk on the stride trainer when I watch television. Make myself a rule that I have to be exercising if I am watching TV.

Mini Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

2010-04-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

My dad loves to snack on cheese and crackers, but I don't like him eating too many crackers because I am watching his sodium intake, so I have been experimenting with different things for my dad to enjoy as snacks.

At his suggestion I started buying the mini loaves of cocktail bread. The rye bread and pumpernickel. I use the mini breads to create mini grilled cheese sandwiches for him, then quarter each sandwich to create a bite sized mini grilled cheese sandwich.

They are very fast to make. All you do is spread butter (or margarine) on one side of each slice of bread, place one slice butter side down in hot pan, lay a slice of cheese (your choice in variety) on top of the bread, place the second slice of bread on top - butter side up.

Heat on medium high until browned, carefully turn over and brown on second side. Cut into quarters and serve warm.

Dad can eat four mini sandwiches cut into quarters, and even with just two kinds of bread, the choice in variety of cheeses and stuff that can be added such as ham or chicken make it a very versatile snack.

Regency Beauty Institute

2010-04-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

As family caregivers, there is not much in the way of work experience to fall back on when the caregiving is, eventually, at an end. If you are like me, and still young enough that you will most likely be working toward your own retirement after you are no longer providing your loved one's care, then you might be considering your options for training. Long ago, like so many young girls, I used to draw pictures of my own designs for dresses and outfits, and owned one of those doll heads that girls could apply makeup to. Then there was a friend at one time that was going off to train at a cosmetology school and helped me whenever I had to fancy my hair up or apply makeup. I guess it makes sense that I might consider getting into cosmetology, huh?

If you might be considering it with more than the passing 'maybe...' that I am, then the Regency Beauty Institute would like to invite you to take a look at their growing network of over thirty campuses in nine states. Visit their website and browse through the information they provide for their cosmetology school in Wisconsin and find out if they have a school nearer to where you live (or would like to live). With over 30 schools in nine states, chances are they have one or the other.

Regency campuses mirror upscale salons and provide students with cosmetology training that is fully accredited by the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences (NACCAS). As a fully accredited cosmetology school, Regency is able to offer federal financial aid to those who qualify.

Regency Beauty Institute got its start in the 1950’s as Myndall Cain Beauty Academy, assuming the name of Regency in the 1980’s. Regency got its latest makeover in 2002.

This post sponsored by Regency Beauty Institute

Lazy night leading up to taxes

2010-04-14T03:49:00.000-07:00

I've been relaxing for a few, watching Anderson Cooper with dad and lazily catching up on the Facebook games I was snared into playing before I dive headlong into taxes.

Dad's off to listen to Coast to Coast now until he falls asleep, so I am going to go watch an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then get my tailbone to the chair and work my fingers to their bone getting work finished and taxes sorted out.

Can anyone else say "Eeeeeeewwwwww!!!!" ?

2010-04-13T01:25:00.000-07:00

Me and dad got the brakes on the Cadillac repaired, and tomorrow my brother is going to help us install a new radio in a hidden location if it is not raining. I'm going to hold off until the end of the month to get the studded tires off, they don't have to be off the car until May 1st, so I'll get them off at the end of this month.

Lazy day, but perfect for a drive

2010-03-25T16:26:00.001-07:00

Sleepy lazy day trying to get rid of a headache today. I spent most of my work day catnapping on the sofa while dad watches shows on TNT. Law & Order and Bones and stuff, good shows, but I agree with him that they can at times just seem to go from one story line to the next with little or no warning. It is a lovely sunny day outside, one of those days I would love to get out and take him for a drive, but can't. Few more weeks, get the car's brakes fixed or do what he wants to and get us a new car from one of the local dealerships. We can go without a heater in the car for a bit here in a few more weeks, but not having any brakes... well, that really puts the brakes on us being able to go anywhere, so until I can get the car to the brake shop to replace the brakes on it it is going to remain parked right where it is.

FDA hydrolyzed vegetable protein recall

2010-03-17T01:16:00.000-07:00

Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) is included in products such as McCormick & Company Onion Gravy Mix, Pringles Restaurant Cravers Cheeseburger & Pringles Family Faves Taco Night. For a complete listing of all of the products that the FDA has issued an HVP recall on visit the FDA website.

This is for the hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) paste and powder distributed by Basic Food Flavors, Inc.

Flowers

2010-03-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

Went to town last night and picked up some flowers for dad. Mom and me used to get dad flowers all the time, so it is something that I try to do whenever I can afford it. Mom's perspective on it was that it was not a very expensive investment, but it brightened things up some for dad, particularly during the gloom of winter when we can't get out and about as much as we can in the summer time.

Homebuyer Tax Credit for those Buying First Home

2010-02-19T16:49:00.000-08:00

Coldwell Banker wants to make sure that anyone that is thinking about buying a home know that the Home Buyer Tax Credit has been extended into 2010 and that there are changes that have made even more people eligible for this tax credit.

Why should you check to see if you might qualify, even if you were previously ineligible for the homebuyer tax credit?

The credit now covers even more home buyers, and with a tax credit that could be as high as $8,000.00 you could easily use the money from the tax credit to help remodel your new home. New carpeting, paint, maybe a nice bedroom or living room set. You could remodel the yard to have a garden or children's play area.

A few notes about the tax credit:

The home purchased must have a value of less than $800,000.00 and documentation of purchase must be attached to the tax return. The tax credit has been extended so that as long as the buyer has a signed contract to purchase is in hand by April 30, 2010, they will have to June 30th to close on the home purchase. This tax credit can be worth up to $8,000.00 to home buyers, so it is definitely worth checking into even if you think you might not qualify for the credit or had not qualified prior to the extension.

No longer only for those that are Buying First Home, the tax credit now allows for current home owners to qualify if they meet certain criteria. As with the first time home, homes purchased by current home owners must be less than $800,000 in value and written proof of intent to purchase must be in hand no later than April 30, 2010.

Watch the video below, where Jim Gillespie, president and CEO of Coldwell Banker, discusses the homebuyer tax credit, then visit the Coldwell Banker website for more information.

This post was paid for by Coldwell Banker

On Being a Caregiver

2010-02-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

I need to take my mom's advice and start writing a book that tells it like it is when it comes to being a family caregiver. Something that lets people know just what they are going to be in for, and lets others know that they are not alone in the things they are experiencing.

My siblings have growled about me in the past, have expressed sore feelings about the deal that mom and dad made that I would be compensated for my helping them in the form of inheriting the house and its contents. The predominant complaint is always "What did you do for them?" and I persistently opt out of answering that particular question.

It is not because I don't have an answer to it, but I think that anyone else that provides 24/7/365 care as I do knows that there are a lot of things you prefer to not tell the family members that have never had to see the day to day sides of being a caregiver. And then there are the things they know about, and just ignore, the things they prove they know are an issue every time they say "I'll take dad to that meeting, but only if you come too!" or when they refuse to take him somewhere because it is too difficult to take him. And in particular when they refuse to come say hello to him even when they live less than five miles from him and are out driving about daily anyway.

I think the hardest part of being a caregiver is not the work one must do, but in watching family grow more and more distant and push both you and the care recipient away from them out of... I don't know. I'm not sure why they do it, but even with my constant saying "Please help", "Can you take dad to this..." or "Come visit dad, please?" I have been told that I shove them away and shut them out. My advice to fellow caregivers... be fully prepared not only for a long term unpaid job that will take 99% of your time and cost you most of your personal time, but one that will cause your closest most loves family members to start hating you for no conceivable reason.

Knowing what I know now would I do it all again? Yes. In an instant! I'll be coming out the far end of this completely outcast from my family and despised by all of them as they (according to what some of them have said so far) assure my life is a living hell and I get nothing (not the house I have to buy, not the insurance dad is paying for my eventual payment for caregiving, not even the things I own that are in the house), but I would not do anything different because despite one doctor after another saying my dad had only weeks, my dad has lived for years past where he was expected to have survived. Even within the past few months his heart doctor has said it is fully due to my level of love and care that he survived more than a week past my mom's passing.

Giving a loved one a full, long, happy life is worth any amount of hardship. The only regret I will ever have is that I was unable to somehow stop my mom's passing away, but I know I did my best in every way possible to care for her. There is just too much stress in being a caregiver and like me, she always put dad first, even before her own health.

After Rodeo Concert - I wanna go!

2010-02-18T17:45:00.000-08:00

I'm a cowgirl at heart, which means that there is still nothing quite like the atmosphere of a rodeo arena to me. I was looking a little while ago at the tickets to concerts at the Houston Rodeo that they have at Team One tickets and there is Keith Urban, performing on March 16th. No chance in heck I could ever made it there to see him perform at the Houston Rodeo, but OH MAN do I want to. I went all the way to Atlanta Georgia to see Keith in concert at the Fox Theater, but something tells me it would be so much better to see him perform after a rodeo.

I've never been to the Houston Rodeo & Livestock Show, but I grew up attending small town rodeos in northern Washington, and it is one of the things I will always miss is there not being good rodeos throughout the summer months up here in Alaska. If Keith were performing toward the end of the summer, then I think I might wrangle the cost of a road trip. My pards and I all met because of cowboys, and many of us have all come to be huge fans of Keith, so it would be great to be able to have another get-together at the Houston Rodeo to see the rodeo and Keith in concert, but there is no way I could pull it off in under 30 days.

Trash people won't get dumpster

2010-02-18T15:29:00.000-08:00

Arrrrgh!!! Damn people that pick up the dumpster from our place are supposed to take the large dumpster away and bring us two tipper cans. The guy that drives the truck, who came in last month with the snow and stuff deeper than it is now, says he can not come into our driveway until it has been fully plowed out by a plow truck. Well what the F?! He was in here last month, far worse conditions, and had no problems. Now he says he can't come get it until I have the drive plowed out, which since I can't afford to hire a plow truck I will have to do by effing *HAND* on a hundred yard long driveway. Arrrrgh!!!

Do Family Caregivers Need Scrubs?

2010-02-16T13:32:00.001-08:00

I've been a family caregiver for a long time now, most of my caregiver time is spent in a comfortable over-sized T-shirt and comfortable sweat pants pr PJ style pants.Makes one wonder if nursing scrubs might be a good alternative for a family caregiver to consider for everyday around the house wear.

The medical scrubs industry has long been seen as something that is just for nurses in hospitals and surgical scrubs, but it is so much more than that. There is a wide range of styles of scrubs that can be chosen from, including lab coats and student scrubs.

If you would like to see just what the options are for scrubs, check out the Scrubs and Beyond website for a wide range of not only scrubs, but other nursing and medical equipment carried in their many store locations across the States.

Care for a sports fanatic? Check out the student scrubs section for sports scrubs in official MLB and official NASCAR as well as college teams. Or maybe take a look at the animal prints that are best suited for veterinary scrubs to add a bit of fun to your care recipient's day?

Scrubs could also be great for a care recipient to wear for something that might be messy such as arts and crafts or gardening.

Check out the Scrubs and Beyond website at any of the above links for more information on scrubs and other nursing equipment such as stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs.

This post was sponsored by Scrubs and Beyond

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis.

Warm Temperatures

2010-02-16T13:07:00.000-08:00

The weather here is warm, averaging in the high 20's to mid or high 30's range. Right now it is 35 degrees Fahrenheit outside, got to a hi of 40 overnight. Lots of melting snow, has been for the past few days.

Chances are we might be looking at a winter that the snow is gone by Easter, which we have not had in a very long time, but did have here probably 10 or so years back.

I for one would certainly not complain about having an early spring. I would love to see all that snow leave and stay gone.

Eyeglasses

2010-02-14T23:56:00.000-08:00

Zenni Optical invites you to stop by their website. Take a look at the Zenni brand. Name brands can be very expensive, so instead of offering them, Zenni Optical makes their own brand and keeps the prices of their eyeglasses affordable enough for nearly anyone.

Stop by the Zenni Optical website, take a look at the eyeglasses they offer, then compare their prices to other optical sites and shops in your area. Zenni Optical feels you will agree they offer high quality eyeglasses at affordable prices.

Eyeglasses can be an expensive investment, and for so many of us our budgets limit us to the most inexpensive frames available in our local discount store. Zenni Optical has eyeglasses priced at low rates, made affordable enough to allow for a much wider choice of frames than even the most inexpensive of local optical shops (at least for the ones near where I live).

Don't forget to check their returns page before you order, get familiar with how their return policy works. Note that it is to offer a 50% refund on the custom made eyeglasses, if returned within four weeks and if you have a code you will need to call and get.

For more information check out the Zenni Optical website at the above link, or the article at Examiner.com that has more information on Zenni Optical as well as how to get inexpensive eye exams.

This post was sponsored by Zenni Optical.

I have a long night ahead

2010-02-14T22:26:00.000-08:00

It is 11:56 pm and I know that I have a very long night ahead of me. Dad has been in bed since about 9:30 (which is when I told him he was out of cigarettes), and after listening to the radio for about a half hour he started saying he wanted to get up. Telling him there are no cigarettes until someone can go to the store in the morning convinced him that staying in bed was a better idea. For a while. Now he's got this "I want to get up" grown going every few minutes, and yet when I go back there and tell him it's not morning he opts to go back to sleep - until the next time the radio wakes him up and then he assumes he slept all night and wants to get up - even though only a few minutes passed.

I turned the radio off and he is now sleeping for a bit, then making the most heart stopping "Aarrrrhhhhggghhhhh!!!!" type of groaning sort of sounds. I leap up and dash to the back of the house to check on him. He's fine. I head back to work and just as I get to the chair he makes sound again. I spin and sprint to back of house again. Repeat. Repeat...

Midnight and he's not sleeping well, but he needs to sleep in his bed because he is not getting restful sleep in his recliner, but I know already I am not going to get any sleep at all tonight. I'm also not getting much work done, because I keep leaping up to dash to the back of the house and check on him. The repeated sprinting with lack of sleep is starting to make me feel sickly and headachy.

Damn siblings are so ticked at me and him for not giving them all mom and his stuff after she passed away that aside from one brother's family they stopped coming around any more than maybe once a month or once every few months. Although one of the nephews did show up on a snow machine today and once again did not come in to say hi to their grandfather.

I guess by staying away none of them have to listen to him stop breathing every few minutes all night because of sleep apnea, or have him get mad that no one visits him, or get upset that his car was sent back home without a working heater or brakes so he can't even go anywhere... they don't have to stay awake all night long listening to dad, just to make sure he is still breathing. Don't have to sit and go over and over what they would do if anything happened to dad. Will not be here one day when he does not wake from a nap, or when one of those nighttime outcries is a heart attack or stoke. They can just settle back in their own homes and think of what a little brat I am for thinking I might one day try to buy my parent's house back from the bank it was mortgaged to.

It's nights like this that I just sit and cry, like I am now, and wonder what the hell I did that the family I have time and again done anything in my power to help would be so damn uncaring and hateful toward me when I am the one in need. I get more help and sympathy from the woman I knew, pretty much in passing, ten years ago that still sends me a yearly Christmas card.

12:35 now. It has taken me half an hour to write this because of how many times I have dashed to the back of the house to check on dad. I'm starting to think bringing him up to sleep in his chair and smoke all night would be better. I'll be awake all night, once again, either way.

AMACO Clay Art

2010-02-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

I am an avid crafter with a particular fondness for creating art dolls using clay. Something I have always wanted to try my hand at, however, is pottery and creating clay art pots for plants.

I was looking over the AMACO/Brent website at the art clay and tools for working with clay that they have. They have everything from pottery to jewelery making available through the website, for skill levels ranging from kids to professionals.

Check out the lesson plans for one on overglazes and decorating tiles. And another lesson on glass casting, which is something that I would love to learn. Kids and adults alike will love the lesson on making bugs with polymer clay.

But, as I said, I would like to learn things like how to make clay art, and not bugs. More like the kind of art you would use mexican clay pottery and other art clays for creating decorative clay pots and jars.

Check out the website at any of the above links to find out more about the AMACO/Brent products for clay art.

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis.

What do you do with spare yolks?

2010-02-14T17:26:00.000-08:00

I made dad a cheese omelet earlier with just egg whites, now I just have to figure out what to do with the leftover yolks. I'm thinking I might scramble them up for the dogs or something. Maybe make some sort of dog treat recipe that I can use the yolks in?

I did a fast search and came up with the following recipes I might look more closely at for ideas on where to start with creating a recipe to use up the yolks.

Rid-A-Flea Dog Treats

Dog Treat Recipes: More Biscuits

Dog Treats Recipe

Dog Treat Recipes for a Peppy Pooch

Happy Valentine’s Day

2010-02-14T14:50:00.001-08:00

Wishing you a very happy Valentine’s Day, whether you are in a relationship and looking forward to an evening of romance, or are one of many singles this year that will be taking advantage of a day made for self indulgence and pampering yourself like you never take the time for throughout the rest of the year.

Today is the day when all of us singles should take a few hours to indulge our desire to be pampered. To give ourselves an excuse to relax and not stress. To soak in a hot tub with candles and aromatherapy. Prepare our favorite meal and put on a movie that we adore.

This is the day when we might treat ourselves to a new soft bathrobe or comfortable pajamas. Indulge in a home perm. Maybe have a girls night out with friends that will end in a slumber party and a night of games and pampering reminiscent of our teen years.

Precious Metal Investing

2010-02-13T20:04:00.001-08:00

Being a family caregiver, I have come to really appreciate the need to invest in my own future. This is a concern that is made more clear each time one of my siblings makes clear just how little help I will be getting in later years when I am no longer providing care for my dad.

So, to assure that my future has some kind of investment into savings, I have been doing a bit of dabbling in the stock market for a few weeks now. One investment I have been particularly interested in adding to my portfolio is precious metals.

I was not sure that I it would be possible to buy gold bullion in the same way you can buy stock in a company, but I have discovered not only is it possible to invest in precious metals, but there are several different kinds of metals, including platinum and palladium in which investors can invest.

Investments in platinum and palladium have been made possible by the recently launched Securities Physical Platinum Shares (PPLT) and Physical Palladium Shares (PALL), physically backed exchange-traded funds that allow investors to invest in physically backed holdings that are equal to one share equals one tenth of an ounce of metal.

This post was sponsored by USGoldBureau.com

Quilting

2010-02-13T14:49:00.001-08:00

Last year I tried to make quilting a second business, but just as I was going to be getting things going, assorted life stuff kind of threw the plans out the side window. I have decided that I need to get back into it and get things sorted out so I can start making quilts that I can sell over the summer.

With that in mind, I have began working on a Tree of Life lap size quilt based on the old Progress pattern. It’s going pretty good so far.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2010-02-10T19:19:00.000-08:00

I made my dad a batch of peanut butter cookies last night. Tasty things that turned out fluffy, just very slightly crumbly, and oh so good.

First batch went before it was fully cooled, second batch was half gone by bedtime. The second batch was also slightly overcooked, so this morning they are a bit tough, but the fluffyness of them made it so they're not impossible to eat like sugar cookies can tend to get.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup creamy peanut butter

Sift together first three ingredients (flour, salt and baking powder), and set aside.

In a mixing bowl cream the butter and shortening together until fluffy, add sugars one at a time and beat until fluffy after each. Add eggs and beat mixture until eggs are fully incorporated in mix. Add peanut butter and beat until well mixed and fluffy.

Add half of dry ingredients and beat, then add second half of dry ingredients. Dough will be soft and fluffy.

Scoop by heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheet and press down slightly with a fork. Turn fork and press just enough to create the traditional cross weave fork imprint on top of each peanut butter cookie.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 12 minutes - until bottoms have turned a golden tan. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Best served while still warm.

I made two dozen cookies and still have more than half a bowl of cookie dough that I wrapped in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator.

Romantic Vacation

2010-02-06T06:37:00.000-08:00

Post sponsor Karisma Hotels would like to invite you to consider the romantic possibilities of an escape to one of their five luxury hotels on the Riviera Maya as a getaway gift for you and your loved one this Valentine's Day.

The El Dorado Seaside Suites, an adults only resort on the Riviera Maya, is just one of the five romantic vacation riviera maya luxury hotels offered by Karisma Hotels.

Located on the white sand beaches of Kantenah, this secluded hotel offers a relaxed casual atmosphere and a touch of rich design with amenities that cater to those seeking a sensual experience.

Waiting at doctor's office

2010-02-05T14:50:00.000-08:00

Took my dad to the doctor's office yesterday. That was exhausting. The appointment had been for 4 in the afternoon, but the doctor was running late, so the nurse said put off to 4:30. I knew that would leave us sitting in the lobby for a while still so I called back and asked if since we were having trouble with getting the transportation sorted out if we could move that back to 4:45? That was okay, but she said not much past that.

Ended up getting there at 5, which nurse said was great. Place closes at 5 and nurses go home at 5:30.

We settled into chairs to wait. And wait, and wait. It was right at two hours later that we were shown into the back. After we went through the vitals with the nurse we were shown back to the room at 7:15 to wait. And wait. Was right at an hour later when the doctor finally arrived. Got out of there and headed for gas station at 8:55 pm.

And what was the appointment for? Dad had some things he wanted to talk to his doctor about, but forgot most of them by the time he got a chance to see her.

Birthday celebrations and pool

2010-01-30T20:25:00.001-08:00

My dad and I went down to celebrate my oldest brother's birthday the other night. Even got in a couple of games of pool with him, although ended up winning both games. Yeah yeah yeah, I know, I should have let him win, but it is not exactly nice to just throw a game and besides, first one he scratched shooting at the eight, and the second one.. well... I probably would not have won that one, except with one ball each on the board he lined up on my ball and sank it by mistake instead of his. Oooops. I definitely miss getting to play pool and need to get a table for the basement. Thought I had one a couple of years ago, but could not get help getting it in out of the weather before it was destroyed. I'm thinking with all the wood working tools I have I might just try my hand at making my own one of these days. We'll see. Lots of other things I want to try to make before I try making a pool table.

New Heater Soon

2010-01-14T13:11:00.000-08:00

According to the gal from the Alaska Community Development Corporation, we should be getting some help by February with installing a new heater in the house, which will be wonderful, because I am starting to get worn to a frazzle with having to watch over the fireplace 24/7 and only able to catnap for a few hours during the night.

We're looking at sometime over the next few weeks though, and she said that she does not see any issues that would make it take longer than to the end of January unless the heating people can't schedule getting out here in that time.

Sun is out - Cold day in Alaska

2010-01-09T14:25:00.000-08:00

It is a lovely day out there today. The sun is shining. The snow looks lovely. There are small glimmers of sunlight refracting off the snow. And it is COLD.Until the sun moved around to the porch side of the house the temperature out on the porch was 13 degrees Fahrenheit and dropping. Now that the sun is on that side of the house, the thermometer is saying it is 16 and rising.

Inside... it is finally up to 69 degrees Fahrenheit in the living room where dad is. He's still cold, but it is a tolerable cold with blankets piled on him in his chair. The thermometer in the hallway, just around the corner from the fireplace, the reading is 65. I think over here where I am by the back door it is more like 63. I can at least take the sweater off, so I'm happy as long as dad stays warm. I don't even want to think of what it is in the back bedrooms with the doors closed. Think they're in the mid 50's or cooler.

I can't wait until we can get the heater fixed and the house can stay warm. I plan to start it at 72 degrees Fahrenheit, which is what dad needs to stay warm, and slowly back it down to where he can stay warm, but it is not kept so warm that the heater has to work hard to keep the house warm.

My dad's heart doctor says dad's doing good

2010-01-05T16:43:00.000-08:00

Took my dad to see his heart doctor yesterday and the doctor was saying how most people that were married to someone for many years, as my parents had been, will often pass away within a few weeks or months of losing their spouse. The doctor said that dad was doing unbelievably good and that the doctor attributed that to me and how I take care of dad.

That got dad and his doctor into a long discussion on how I was dad's baby girl and how good I took care of dad and such. And I have to admit, there is a small bit of delight to be gleaned from listening to stuff like that, to have it said that all of the efforts to limit the smoking, to keep the care recipient comfortable and on a good diet while allowing them some of the things they like that I know are not exactly healthy is all actually working. That my ducking and trying to dodge out of the way of sudden bad moods is not in vain.

After we left the appointment dad and I was talking about it all and once again agreed that he is one day going to be the oldest living Korean War Veteran - or at least the oldest living WWII veteran. It's good to have goals to work toward. May all our soldiers have VERY long happy and healthy lives!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T00:26:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I have a goal for 2010 to take a few minutes every day to quietly center myself and find a moment of calm in an effort to make sure I am ready for anything that I might have thrown at me this year.

I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful new year, and that 2010 is one of the best.

I'm looking forward to a new start and to 2010 being a good year for me.

Never wait to make someone you love happy

2009-11-09T18:13:00.000-08:00

Dad and I have got the same sort of perspective on the holidays that me and mom had for years now. Rather than get presents and hide them away, waiting to give them on a particular day, we give the presents early so that they can be enjoyed rather than rat hole them away for a day that might now come along in time.

It is a lesson I learned the value of the hard way. Mom and I went to the Salvation Army not long before she passed away, just days before in fact, and I found a lovely dresser top candy dish there. I knew she would love it, and spent more than I should have to buy it for her for her and dad's upcoming anniversary. When I got out to the car I admitted I had got her a present, did she want it now or in a few weeks? She opted to get it then and loved it. It sat on the shelf by her bed, where it still sets today. Mom never would have seen it had I waited for her and dads anniversary.

That taught me to adore every day and not to hoard stuff I have bought for people just because someone said it should be given to them on a certain day that some guy hundreds of years ago decided sounded good.

So, I bought dad some presents the other day, including a good foam cushion for his wheelchair and a Snuggie. I can't say I am entirely impressed with the Snuggie, but the fleece in the thing is worth the price I paid for it.

The other night dad got me my big Christmas present from him. We had to run to the store for my brother and went on out to Lowes where Dad bought me the scroll saw that I had shown him a few days before. A Hitachi scroll saw that the first thing I did with it was make him an eagle cutout plaque.

I have discovered that I love working with the scroll saw, it is just as relaxing as working with a sewing machine, but the "quilt" is made on wood rather than out of fabric. Which I think I should try making a wood quilt just to see how it would work out. that could be very kewl. A wood coasters style table cover, wall hanging, or carpet type deal with scroll saw patterns on it.

I'll love the scroll saw just as dearly as the table saw and router that mom had got me before she passed away and want to build a good workroom where I can use them to make cabinetry and furniture and all kinds of things.

Unexpected memories stirred by common stuff

2009-10-16T23:45:00.000-07:00

It is amazing just how sneaky memories can be, how they can be triggered by the oddest of things. I have been being very careful in my spending, so had not bought paper towels since before mom passed away - until a few days ago. Then after I got home I did not open them... not until this evening. When I opened them I could not help but think about how the last time I had paper towels in the kitchen, mom had been alive. It was one of so very many small things that suddenly trigger thinking about her and how much I wish she was still here. Even a year later, such thoughts are hard to push away when they hit.

Senate Votes Down Public Option on Health Care Plan

2009-09-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

News just said that the damn Senate voted down the public option for the health care bill. That means that, as it has been all these years, the health insurance companies are going to screw over people like me who can not afford to buy health care and someday I will end up like my mom, putting off my own care to the point that my first trip to the ER is my last trip anywhere.

It pisses me off that the people who have $100,000 jobs and homes with "no worries" heaters, brand new state of the art kitchen stoves and a brand new Mercedes Benz in the drive are all throwing parties shrieking "We don't need that!" and screwing people like me, a hard working woman who is the proud daughter of a WWII vet who's family fled the Dust Bowl when he was a boy.

No.... what pisses me off is all the lies those people spread like wildfires to kill the health care reform. The newsman that had reported on it on CNN promised that he would look into what senators had got their bank accounts polished by health care companies before the vote and how they voted versus how others voted. I hope he pulls through on that promise, because I want to know who it is that runs this country - the people, the president, or the mega corporations that throw about money to keep themselves the big dog pissing on anyone that can not afford their private club fees.

Karisma Hotels Resorts

2009-09-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

Located on secluded white-sand beaches on the Mexican Riviera Maya, the Karisma Hotels are a collection of resorts that offer luxury and relaxation to their guests.

The luxuries offered by their hotels make them ideal for Destination Weddings held on white sand beaches. When you are making plans you should note that the Karisma Hotels resorts include both adult only and family friendly resorts -

Adults Only:
El Dorado Royale Spa Resort
El Dorado Seaside Suites

Family-Friendly:
Azul Beach
Azul Blue

Naturalist:
Hidden Beach Resort

Some of the amenities to be found at the resorts include beach butlers, fine food, iced bartops, swim-up rooms, white gauze curtains around the beds, hot tubs, hammocks and more. Check out the listings for each resort for more details on which resort offers what services and for details on services offered exclusively by each resort, such as the milk baths and aromatic massages of the El Dorado Royale Resort, or the kid-sized bathrobes and coloring books offered by the family friendly Azul Beach Hotel.

Check out the link above for more information on each of the properties that Karisma Hotels resorts offers.