Merry Christmas from Our Caregiving Family to Yours

Valerie, Gladys and Fred

This is our first holiday season as caregivers - it will be a quiet one.  We don’t have much planned, just some family time and some down time for a few days.  Our oldest daughter, Nichole, who was Gladys’ first caregiver, is trying to fly down for a few days to spend a little time with us.  On Saturday Fred, Nikki and  Anita will drive up to Tennessee for the weekend to visit with Fred’s family.  Gladys and I will stay in Georgia.

When I was a child, most of my Christmases were spent with my god-mother, Lessie Belyeu.  Affectionately called Big Mom, she was Gladys’ mother and the woman who raised me until I was 11 years old.  I remember the Christmas trees that touched the ceiling, the smell of cookies and cakes permeating the air, the roasting turkeys in the oven and all of the people who would gather at our house on Cambridge Street.  I have wonderful childhood Christmas memories.

As my children were growing up we had lots of fun and created our own holiday legacies.  We still cook a big holiday meal but my children are adults and our family is spread out over several states. We keep in touch and visit when we can.

The Johnson/Rooney family wish you a safe and happy holiday season.  Enjoy your families and create many happy holiday  memories.

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Ten Reasons I Blog About Caregiving

As we come to the end of 2008, I’ve taken a look back at how I became a blogging caregiver.  In February, my daughter Nichole (who was Gladys’ primary caregiver) and I made the decision to move my god-sister, Gladys from Philadelphia to Georgia.   In April I decided to blog about the transition from empty nester to caregiver and the preparation process.  At that time, I knew very little about blogging.

These are my reasons to blog about caregiving:

• This blog is my caregiver support group.  While I was preparing my home (and my mind) to begin caregiving I was told by health professionals, social workers and friends to join a support group.  I knew that wasn’t going to happen, it’s just not me.  The people who read my blog and leave comments are my support group.  I can vent, share my experiences and frustrations right here on this blog.  You can comment or not, but I know I’ve been heard and I move on.
• Blogging reminds me about what’s important.  Before I became a caregiver for my sister, I was content with my life as an empty nester - glad our bills were paid and there was food in the refrigerator.  But now, with the recession, I’ve been taken back to 1973 and remember reading stories about elderly people eating cat food because they couldn’t afford groceries.  That’s why I gave the caregiver challenge to feed the elderly.
• Blogging helps keep friends and family informed about Gladys.  Before moving to Georgia, Gladys had always lived in Philadelphia.  This blog helps keep family and friends informed.
• Blogging about caregiving has made me and my family more sensitive to aging issues.  Since becoming caregivers, my family and I have learned so much about adult day care, medicare, medicaid, geriatric physicians and elder care options.  I think my children will be more prepared as my husband and I age.
• Blogging allows other caregivers to help me.  Like most bloggers, I read other blogs about caregiving, dementia and eldercare.  Those bloggers help me on many levels.  Sometimes it’s as simple as knowing that my situation with Gladys is good compared to what some other caregivers experience.  Other times it’s insight from a blogger with expertise in the area of dementia who shares something that I am struggling with caring for Gladys.
• This caregiver blog allows me to help other people. On this blog I share information about my caregiving experience and also share information about aging, elder care, dementia and Alzheimer’s.  I’ve had people tell me that they used information from this blog to help them with an aging parent.  A friend of mine who shared her story on this blog said that it helped her immensely.
• Blogging about caregiving and dementia creates a challenge for me.  I began blogging at 56 years old.  I did not know what I was doing and had a steep learning curve to be able to set up my own blog and learn about theme selection, plug-ins, widgets, SEO, social networking and all the other things that go along with blogging.  I hope all this learning will help keep my neurons untangled.
• Blogging and caregiving makes me read books out of my comfort zone.  I love a good thriller, suspense or murder mystery.  Give me a Vince Flynn, Michael Connelly or Walter Mosley novel and I’m good.  Other than that I tend to read books on ministry and leadership.  Now, my reading selections include books on caregiving, dementia and blogging.
• Blogging forces me to seek out new information about dementia, Alzheimer’s and aging.  The information I find may not be new but it is new to me and to some others who read my blog.
• Friends I’ve made through blogging.  I’ve met lots of people through blogging.  Since I’m an introvert, indirect contact works for me -:).  I have blogging friends in the Northeast, Midwest, South, West Coast, Hawaii, Great Britain and Australia.  If I have a question, I can send them an email and they get right back to me.  Sometimes I just drop a note to say hi.

Thanks for reading my 10 reasons.  Tune in this time next year to see where I am.  By the way, I am in the process of launching a ministry blog.  It only has a few posts right now but I’d like you to check it out at http:yourministryhelper.com.  It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for quite a while.

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Update on Caregiver Challenge to Feed the Elderly

A few days ago I put forth a challenge for caregivers and other kind people to feed elderly people on a limited fixed income.  I never underestimate the kindness of strangers because I still believe most people are kind. In just a few days, enough donations have been received to feed three more elderly people for about a month.  Like I said before, it’s nothing extravagant.  This time I purchased a 12 pack of corn and a 12 pack of green beans; an eight pack of 18 oz cans of soup; a 16 pack of tuna, a large jar of peanut butter and a two pack box of oatmeal.  Not pictured is a gallon jug of apple juice and a box of crackers.  Three elderly people will receive these groceries next week.

Many thanks to everyone who has donated so far.  Special thanks to Kathy Hendershot-Hurd who tweeted the challenge and mentioned it on her blog Virtual Impax; and to Michael Martine who tweeted the challenge.

This challenge will be ongoing.  I would like to help feed our elderly on a regular basis, especially in this economy.

Related Reading:

Challenge for Caregivers and other Kind People

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