TIME FOR YOU THURSDAY

Fifty-six percent of Caring Today readers who responded to our poll indicated stress is their biggest issue. So how can you get it under control? Click here for ways to focus your mind, ease your anxiety and discover the paths to inner peace.

 

HI contest image

Enter the 2008 Caring Today "Give Caregiver a Break" Essay Contest

Tell us your story for a chance to win the GRAND PRIZE worth $5,000, a FIRST PRIZE worth $2,500 or an Extraordinary Caregiver Award worth $500!

 

 

THE PROMISE

"Promise you'll never put me in a nursing home." How many of us have been lassoed by that demand? Is it a promise we're obligated to obey? Or is it one that shouldn't be asked? Click here to read how caregivers like you have handled this dilemma.

 

 

CARING TODAY CAREGIVER GUIDES

NEW! Caregiver Guide to Respite Care—Providing guidance on why you need it, how to find it, best ways to discuss it, and how much it will cost and assistance in funding it. Plus, a respite care resource guide.


NEW! The COPD Caregiver Guide—Offering tips on how to help your loved one with COPD at home, at mealtime, at work and on the road.

Also check out these Caring Today Caregiver Guides...

The Basic Caregiver Guide

The Diabetes Caregiver Guide

Caregiver Guide: Depression vs. Bipolar Disorder

 

 

Judy Martin and Dad

THE FINANCIAL FIX

Judy Martin is racking up a lot of frequent-flyer miles. Not by taking exotic vacations, either. Instead, this 63-year-old grandmother flies every six weeks from her Texas home to California to assist her ailing, aged father. These trips began last year when Judy became concerned that her dad seemed increasingly disorganized and confused. But when Judy asked him about his finances and he couldn’t provide a reasonable answer, she knew it was time to act…. Click here to read more.

 

 

Lynn Johnston

TEN MINUTES WITH...LYNN JOHNSTON

As the creator of the comic strip "For Better or For Worse," Lynn Johnston has made an art of putting her life on paper for all to learn from and enjoy. And she presents it in a way that makes us smile, even with a subject as serious as a stroke and a family's subsequent struggles. Click here for the backstory behind her tales.

 

 

Yes, You Can Say No

It's Friday night, and just as you're walking out the door for a much-anticipated evening with friends, the phone rings. It's your elderly mother calling for the third time that day. She's lonely. She wants to chat. And she asks if you wouldn't mind picking up some items from the store and dropping them by her house.

So, how do you decline without feeling guilty? How can you be a consistent and loving caregiver while also setting effective boundaries? And how... Click here to read more

 

 

SHARE THE CARE

When creating a caregiving team, you need the Team Leader, the Assistant Coordinator, the Researcher, the Arranger, the Experienced Caregiver, the Chief Cook and Bottlewasher, the Creative Type, the One with a Special Skill, the Shopper, the Handyman, the Driver...the list goes on. And when all work in a coordinated effort, the result is stress-reduced caregiving. So how do you put together such a team? Click here and find out.

 

 

DNorville

Deborah Norville on the Attitude of Gratitude

In her book, Thank You Power: Making the Science of Gratitude Work for You, Deborah Norville notes that common sense told her that, in order to be happy, you must "focus on what you've got—not what you've not." And, as her hunch and the research she uncovered proved, if you notice and acknowledge the good things, you'll reap surprising life improvements. Click here for Deborah's thoughts on how the thankful life can help caregivers like you.

 

 

MELT AWAY ANXIETY WITH YOUR MIND

If you make meditation a habit, studies suggest, you may feel calmer and more in control of your life—and what more could a caregiver want? And you don't need to practice a particular form to set your mind at ease. All that’s required is a quiet place that’s free of distractions, a little patience and some understanding of the challenges of meditation. For instance...Click here to read more!

 

 

ALZHEIMER'S: A CAREGIVER CONVERSATION CHECKLIST

Even under the most optimal at-home care circumstances, a long-term care facility may be able to offer a more safe and comfortable environment for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. Now, the Alzheimer’s Association has created a checklist of talking points and helpful hints to begin a series of relevant conversations with your family, fellow caregivers and the person with Alzheimer’s. Click here to read more.