Great Ideas from the AGIS Caregiver Forum for the Week of 12/17/2007
The Caregiver Forums at www.agis.com have been busy this week.
The holiday season can add additional stress to an already busy caregiving schedule. On December 14, the CareStation Blog had some suggestions for a stress free holiday http://carestation.agis.com/2007/12/14/caregiving-through-the-holidays/
Here are some recent posts from caregivers coping with holiday challenges.
http://forums.agis.com/thread.jspa?threadID=169&tstart=0
http://forums.agis.com/thread.jspa?threadID=164&tstart=0
Moving your parents is a huge decision. In this post, we shared many suggestions of how to help your parents make the decision to move and resources to help when the move is under way. http://forums.agis.com/thread.jspa?threadID=27&tstart=0
We all experience occasional memory lapses. How can you tell when memory loss signals a more serious problem?
http://forums.agis.com/thread.jspa?threadID=172&tstart=0
Everyone over the age of 18 needs to prepare basic legal documents, will or revocable living trust, power of attorney for property and a healthcare power of attorney, in the event that he/she is disabled or dies. Many people shy away from this important task because it is upsetting. It’s even more critical to make sure that your aging parent has her legal documents in order. In this post, we discuss low cost ways of preparing these vital documents.
http://forums.agis.com/thread.jspa?threadID=80&tstart=0
The AGIS Network Caregiver Forums are a great place to get support and ideas for helping your family member. Will you join us? http://forums.agis.com/index.jspa
Happy Holidays
Filed under: AGIS, Alzheimer's, Caregiving, Checklist, Estate Planning, Holidays
The holidays are a time when we gather with our families, reconnect–and reassess.
As we spend time with mom or dad–whether in our home or theirs–we might notice significant changes from last Christmas.
As my mom aged, I noticed that she couldn’t open any jars–that her motor skills and strength had diminished significantly. She had all these cans and jars waiting for me to “open” for her. Also, she made a lot of excuses for things and was forgetting names of objects–like the rug or a chair.
That’s why neurologist say that January is their “busiest” time for diagnosing Alzheimer’s and other age/brain related disorders and diseases.
We notice things around the holidays, and by January, we know we have to do something about it.
So this Christmas, enjoy your eggnog, sit and laugh and reminisce, and gently observe the subtle–or obvious changes that inevitably come in our parent’s latter years.
www.alz.org has a great 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s and other great resources.
January will be here soon enough.
~Carol D. O’Dell
Author of Mothering Mother: A Daughter’s Humorous and Heartbreaking Memoir
available on Amazon