National Caregiver Month- let's share a good laugh

November is National Caregiver Month.  We at Home Instead Senior Care want to applaud all the family and professional Caregivers out there!  We know first hand how important and how stressful your jobs can be.  Many of you are providing care to loved ones in ways you never dreamed possible.
One thing we want to stress to you as a Caregiver is to remember TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!  Know the warning signs of burnout and stress.  Visit our caregiver stress resource to test your level and find ways to help alleviate some of the stress of your caregiving position.
One of my favorite ways to lighten my load and the mood is to laugh!  Let's take a moment to do just that...share with us one of your favorite jokes.  Let's all laugh a little today!

Married Four Times The local news station was interviewing an 80 year old lady, because she had just gotten married for the fourth time. The interviewer asked her questions about her life, about what it felt like to be marrying again at 80 and then about her new husband's occupation! "He's a funeral director," she answered. "Interesting," the newsman thought. He then asked her if she wouldn't mind telling him a little about her first three husbands and what they did for a living. She paused for a few moments, needing time to reflect on all those years. After a short time, a smile came to her face and she answered proudly, explaining that she had first married a banker when she was in her early 20s, then a circus ringmaster when in her 40s, and a preacher when in her 60s, and now in her 80s, a funeral director. Astonished, the interviewer looked at her and asked, "Why did you marry four men with such diverse careers?" She smiled and explained, "I married one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready and four to go."

Making Friends- by Janell, CAREGiver and Guest Blogger

I love the first day of meeting a new client. Today, I met Mrs. W a fiery little lady who has trouble getting around because of severe arthritis.

Note to self ~ be thankful every day.

Mrs. W is one of those women I immediately like. She speaks her mind. No two ways about it. She lets you know how things should be done. But in a nice way. She was a special education teacher for the same school for over 25 years. She knows patience and she’s seen a thing or two. She has learned to laugh and love and show discipline by using both. I watched as she showed me how she wanted her laundry done. Never mind the fact that she stood at the washer and did it all herself while I watched. “Call me crazy,” she said “but I like things a certain way.”
Note to self ~ Hot means Cold and Cold means Hot on her washing machine dial.

Mrs. W promptly showed me her cleaning supplies. “You can never go wrong with dusting,” she said. Mrs W is something of a collector. She collects nativity scenes, plants and lots and lots of family pictures. Shining faces, smiling, happy faces of those she loves and those who love her back. They were everywhere. The walls, every available shelf held photos of family members, young and old.
Note to self ~ Mrs. W is one loving lady with a lot of strong family ties.

As I remade her bed with clean linens fresh from the dryer, I carefully tried to reconstruct the bed just as I had taken apart. I wanted to remember which pillows went in the white pillow cases and which ones went in the colored pillow cases. I found myself really wanting to get it right to please her.
Note to self ~ Mrs. W really likes baby powder sprinkled on the bed BEFORE the sheets are put on.

So… she helped me take it apart and this time we did it the right way. And she laughed telling me she had no idea why she liked it that way. She had always done it that way. Her husband had asked her about it once and she had told him if he didn’t like it, he could sleep somewhere else!!! She grinned at me, “But he never did so I guess he learned to like it too!”

I never begrudge anyone the way they like to have things done. I just wish there was some magic way to know without having to be told. But it’s the learning about each other that makes it special and remembering that behind every little nuance of “how” something is done – there is more than likely a little humor to go with it. And that's what helps me remember for each client.

Like when Mrs. W and I went to the grocery store. Halfway, through the store, she suddenly remembered the bakery. Mrs. W LOVES the long johns from the bakery that are covered in frosting – not glazed. And she will buy all that the bakery has that day. Today, there are only 4 and I see disappointment in her face.
Note to self ~ Remind Mrs W to start on the bakery side next grocery trip before her favorite long johns are all gone!

And I can’t wait to remind her next trip so we can laugh about it together.

Putting Your Legal Affairs in Order- a workshop

Scott Hartsook, Iowa Legal Aid and Kay Vanags, Family Caregiver Specialist will present on legal and community resources available when families are faced with Parkinson's Disease.  This program is sponsored by the American Parkinson Deisease Association and Iowa Parkinson Disease Information and Referral.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010
9-11:30am
Plymouth Congregational Church
4126 Ingersoll Avenue, Des Moines
RSVP by October 10, 2010
515.241.6379 or erwinjs@ihs.org

Love, at any age is "Lovely, Still"

"Lovely, Still", starring Academy Award winners, Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn was released in theaters on September 10. This emotional drama explores the beauty of finding love late in life and the bittersweet circumstances that occur when the story takes an unexpected turn. Lovely, Still has received numerous honors at film festivals across the country and was chosen as the Official Selection at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Chicago Film Festival, the Palm Beach Film Festival and the Phoenix Film Festival.

Watch the trailer, here.

http://www.lovelystillthemovie.com/trailer.php

So What Does a CAREGiver Really Do??? by Janell, guest blogger

When I tell people I am a Caregiver for Home Instead Senior Care, they sometimes say things like “So you clean and drive people to appointments?” Well, yes I do those things but not as much as you might think.


I do what is needed;

I have organized bills to be paid. I have helped file away important papers. I have helped get greeting cards ready to be mailed to grandchildren, nieces and nephews. I have packaged items for return from the Home Shopping Network.

I have watered plants, filled bird feeders and baked cookies. I have read Tom Sawyer aloud to a 98-year old client who couldn’t see but listened to the story intently and chuckled at Tom’s shenanigans. I have set on the front porch with a glass of iced tea and chatted. I have listened to tales of work on the rail road, of life growing up in a children’s home. I have met a woman who knew the Sullivan Brothers family ~ the 5 brothers who were killed in World War II. I have heard stories about Victory trains and V-mail ~ things I had to Google so I could find out more.

I have played Uno, Rummy and lost miserably to a 90 year old playing trivia. I have fed the cat, played with the dog and read aloud from the Reader’s Digest. I have reminisced looking at old photo albums and been in awe of the young images of the older person sitting next to me ~ an older and slower version with the same twinkle in their eyes.

I have made egg salad, fresh fruit salad and taken a leisurely walk on a beautiful fall day. I have looked at knickknacks and heard stories of times gone by. I have made beds and marveled over hand stitched quilts made long ago.

I have given hugs, been given hugs and caressed a dying woman’s hand in the darkest hour of the night. I have laughed and teased and been teased. I have steadied a man who normally uses a walker but refuses to when we walk in to his favorite place for lunch ~ McDonald’s. I have been charmed by a man with dementia who struggles with inner demons but tries to make a connection in the real world. I have dozed in a recliner by the bed of an Alzheimer’s patient so that his family could get some much needed rest.

I have walked Grey’s Lake and driven through Water Works Park when the trees are in bloom. I have consoled a 83 year old woman when her son didn’t come to visit. I have listened to 40s music and strolled through the Dollar Store. I have searched under the deck for a lost kitten.

I have parked near a playground with the windows down so that a 95 year old woman can listen to the sounds of the children squealing and playing ~ and I watched her tilt her head back with eyes closed and a smile on her face...

And yes, I have cleaned. I have wiped countertops, vacuumed carpet and dusted knickknacks and beloved framed photos. I have driven to doctor’s appointments, hair appointments, the grocery store, cleaners and the dentist.

And yes, I have been blessed in all of these things I do.

Free Seminar: Oct. 5, 2010- Family Matters with Long-Term Care

We work with families daily that are struggling with sorting through their care options, funding opportunities, and the emotional strain of it all.  I have had the pleasure of meeting with many outstanding individuals who work with me in the Senior Care world.  We each have our areas of expertise to share with the community.  Please consider attending Brian's seminar to see how his services might benefit you or your aging parents.
http://www.edwardjones.com/cgi/getHTML.cgi?page=/en_US/fa/seminar/index.html&CIRN=718402&SMKEY=SM2008-08-29_13:44:21|2010/10/05|18:00

One Reason to be a Caregiver- by Janell, CAREGiver & Guest blogger

I have been asked why I want to spend my working hours as a caregiver? Like many people, I worked behind a desk for years and although I enjoyed the work, I felt there was something missing. Turns out that “something missing” was the satisfaction of having helped someone have a better day.

As a Caregiver, I have the chance to meet some great people. Those people usually have a need that has to be filled and when I can help with that and do it as a friend might do it for them, I feel a great satisfaction. I never look at a job as merely helping someone clean house or providing transportation to the doctor's office. I'm not a "cleaning lady" (my husband can attest to that) and I am not a taxi service BUT through HomeInstead I have the opportunity to become a friend when a friend is needed. I am always on the look out for the opportunity to meet someone very special and to my great surprise, I often do!

What I particularly like about HomeInstead is that they interview the client to determine a specific objective before a caregiver is selected. I feel confident going into a client’s home that I have a very good idea of what I need to do to make that client happy with me. That makes it easy for me.

I often put myself in the client’s shoes. I wonder if I was recovering from a fall and needed help to get ready for bed would I want a stranger to help me? How would I react and what would help me feel more comfortable? And then that’s the way I try to approach that person/that situation. I don’t want to be thought of as a stranger after that first visit and when I don't feel the part of a stranger anymore, I know it is a job well done. And that makes for a very fullfilling position.