2011 Elizabeth McGown Caregiver Legacy Award

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).

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

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.

It's nice they help, but they're making things worse

I'm sure that we are not the only ones that have helpful family members that are less than helpful. The members that will take on doing something such as taking the care recipient for a few hours, but are not exactly helpful in providing care while they have them.

My mom and I have a problem with even though my dad is only supposed to be smoking a set number of cigarettes in a day, whenever he goes out to spend time with one of my siblings and their family - he is let smoke as much as he desires. Today he came back after spending some time with them and had not only smoked all the cigarettes that we had sent with him, but had someone buy him a pack of cigarettes and smoked half of that pack as well.

Me and mom are afraid he is going to end up on oxygen, but can't figure out how to convince them not to let him chain smoke while he's out with them. It's about the only break we get, so we hate to just say "no more" to his going even though they are making things worse in the long run.

I'm just not sure what to do, but I figured I would put it out here so anyone else that has this kind of situation will know they are not alone in the catch 22 situation of needing the help, but frustrated by the lack of care given when the helpers are helping.

Six Years, and Ready for 60 More

Today marks the sixth year since a major stroke left my dad in need of a full-time caregiver. Six years ago, while other people were still focused on the events of 9/11, my family was focus on Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane Washington. On where my dad was being treated after he suffered a massive stroke.

Six years has put us through a lot. I have learned a lot about what it means to be a caregiver.

I've fought my way through burnout and depression.

I've found out what true best friends are as the three most important non-family members in my life steadfastly stood by me and coaxed me through the rough spots as other friends faded away into the background.

I have discovered that people can wear themselves out so much they collapse unconscious while engaged in a conversation with someone.

I have endured as doctors told my dad he had under two weeks to live.

I've seen doctors panic at his irregular heartbeat, give him Nitro and then rush him off to the emergency room - only to have his normal doctor shake her head and inform them his heart *always* sounds like that.

I have watched others try to take on the tasks that I trudge through. They never last more than a week, maybe two.

I have learned to do the work of two nurses, a physical therapist, a home maker, a cook and a maid and still find the energy to work at the home business I am trying to run.

I have seen a lot and experienced a lot and my only wish is that my dad will need my help for at least another 20+ years. I don't regret for a moment having been the one to take on this task, even if there are times I sit and cry and think how I should just walk out and let one of my older siblings be the responsible one.

What do you mean you can't be ready in an hour?

I have decided that I am going to examine just what is involved in getting a care recipient ready to go somewhere. Given the response from my siblings on why we don't go places more often, and why we want more than an hour's warning on when they want to get us and go somewhere, I have a suspicion that there are others out there that have similar problems.

It seems to be easy for friends and family to make arrangements for things to do, so easy that they get irritable when the caregiver says that there is no way they can be ready and do the activity in that timeframe. So, I will start looking at what it takes to get ready - and mind you my dad is not as difficult to get ready as a lot of other care recipients, while there will be some that will match this timeframe, there will be care recipients that will require less time and some who will require significantly longer to get ready.

I hope that this will at least give a basic idea on what it would take, on an average scale, for a caregiver to get everything ready when they want to go somewhere with their care recipient.