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Choices ~ Healing ~ Love
October 1, 2004 Publisher & Editor: Gail R. Mitchell - WELCOME JOURNAL EXERCISE UPDATES AT THE SITE CAREGIVERS' CONCERNS NEWS INFORMATIVE CAREGIVING ARTICLES & INSPIRATION MESSAGE BOARDS & EMAIL BAG JOKES & HUMOR DISCLAIMER 
Fall has arrived in New York City. It's my favorite season. Cooler fresh air and lots of wonderful energy... the leaves on the trees in the park, are slowly turning bright vivid autumnal colors and it's a beautiful time. October is also the anniversary month of the launch of Empowering Caregivers which has now been up for six full years... As we move into our seventh year, (under the umbrella of National Organization for Empowering Caregivers}, we can look back and see tremendous growth. It is an evolutionary process and the organization is an energy unto itself; so it is crucial for it to guide us. We hope to continue to serve you with the caring understanding that we have always provided with the caregiver being our primary concern. This coming year will bring some wonderful changes and we will reveal them to you as the opportunities arise. Look for a special interview on Robin Arce and myself in Cooking Light's October/November issue. We are sorry to inform you that Robin will no longer be with us at the message boards or in the chats. We will miss her greatly and wish her much success and love on her journey. We are grateful for the time she gave to us. Next month is the election. Do you know who you are voting for? I encourage you to please clarify each candidate's stand on caregiver relief, drug pricing and Medicare issues before casting your ballot. Please make sure their records represent their talk and that they are committed to assisting the nation's 54 million informal/family caregivers. Last week I had the opportunity to see the movied "What The Bleep" which focused on quantum physics and quantum healing. It was an excellent film. It isn't appearing in many theaters so you can check to see where it is playing near to you if you are interested at www.whatthebleep.com. As a result of the movie, I purchased a book call t"The Hidden Messages in Wanter" by Masaru Emoto. His research and clairty of purpose helps us to rethink the world we exist in; and who we are in our bodies. "The book has marvelous photos of molecules of water showing how they are affected by our thoughts, words and feelings. Since humans and the earth are composed mostly of water, his message is one of personal health, global environmental renewal and a practical plan for peace that starts within each one of us." I had seen an exhibit of his at the United Nations and his photos have circulated online. Check below in updates for our October 18th launch of chats with Leeza Gibbons members from Leezasplace.org. We have a new time schedule for our chats and hope to see you there. Janet B. Walsh who began the Long Island Alzheimer's Association and www.memoryconcepts.com has contributed an excellent article on exerising our brains and we have a special spotlight featuring Mardell Bonasso and her mother. So, without further adieu, I bid you all a memorable October. May your journey be gentle and beautiful! National Organization For Empowering Caregivers NOFEC We invite you to join in our complimentary membership at: Join Us. While you are there, please take a few minutes to fill in the Caregiver Survey. Your input is extremely valuable and we will respect your privacy. Your support in filling in the survey will help us and our funders to reveal areas where programming is most needed and where it will be most effectivec. Survey. ~ Our chats have been changed to new time periods. Monday through Thursday chats will be held from 8PM-9PM EST. See Schedule. ~ Leeza Gibbons: LeezasPlace.org Members Monday, October 18th We are very excited and delighted to partner with Leeza Gibbons organization, LeezasPlace.org Many of you are aware that Leeza has been making guest appearances on national television speaking on behalf of Alzheimer's Disease and other memory disease. He mother was diagnosed at 63 and she like all of us has become a caregiver. The diagnosis came shortly after her grandmother passed from the disease as well. TheMemoryFoundation.org was founded to heal the patient, caregiver and the community at large. While they strive to assist with the day-to-day struggles of coping with this disease, their mission is much larger. They are committed to finding a cure. LeezasPlace.org was developed in response to the challenges Leeza and her family encountered while seeking specific and needed support. The program has already begun setting up wonderful centers. Leeza's Place is a multifaceted reprieve, for both caregivers and the recently diagnosed, that integrates educational programs, connective social activities, emotional support, and intergenerational programming designed to help you navigate through your community?s continuum of care. Leeza's Place was designed to ensure that others experiencing what the Gibbons family encountered would have access to new, supportive settings created for the purpose of educating, empowering and energizing. The whole approach in body, mind and spirit mirrors the approach and vision of Empoweirng Caregivers / NOFEC and we feel this is a connection that will continue to grow and evolve in order to reach more caregivers; thus helping them to transform their caregiving into exeperiences t their experiences into more loving, healing and powerful ones. The chats will being on Monday, October 18th and will run Monday through Thursdays from 8PM-9PM EST. We will be featuring two new hosts from the field of caregiving: Once again, welcome... Mary C. Fridley Or click on this link: If you are interested in submitting an article(s) please go to: Submit. You will find a form for submitting your article, bio/profile, copyright permissions, etc. Please review our guidelines for acceptance, submit and we will notify you upon acceptance.
. ~ Mary Ann Evans aka PrairieGal's father in law passed on Thursday. He had benn suffering for a long time so the family is relieved that he is home. My thoughts are particularly with Mary Ann as she continues to care for her dad. October 5th is a time of grief, healing and celebration at is the day of her mom's passing whom she cared for as well.. May your journey be gentle and nurturing PG... our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Our thoughts and prayers also go out to Sunny 55 aka Linda, who moved back to Montreal to be with and care for her mother. Her mom passed a month after her arrival. It was truly a gifted blessing for Linda to uproot herself as she did. May your healing be gentle and nurturing Linda...and I hope you will find joy in Montreal again. ~ In the 1970’s it became evident people needed aerobic exercise on a weekly basis to stay healthy. Before then, athletes and sports enthusiasts were generally the only people challenging their physical body for the purpose of staying fit and healthy. Then the exercise craze began; gyms and workout sites opened up all over the country. Exercise apparel became big business. Personal trainer became an accepted and worthwhile occupation. We now acknowledge exercising and keeping physically fit as an important part of living longer and staying healthy. Today, we can reap the benefits of the exercise explosion. We are living longer with the help of medical advances particularly with cardiovascular disease and orthopedics. New knees and hips plus clear arteries will give us plenty of extra years to enjoy life. But now as we age we are seeing how vulnerable we are to mind robbing diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Living longer but without our mental faculties can be very frightening. The first ingredients will help ward off a host of ailments. They include:
An annual physical is a must each year. Before your appointment with the physician you should make a list of all of your questions and concerns. It would be preferable if you could get this list to the doctor before you meet. If you are concerned about your memory you must discuss this with your physician. If someone who knows you well and cares for you mentions concern about your memory, even if you do not recognize it, you should also bring this up to the doctor. Memory loss can be a symptom of more than 100 different disorders and the majority are treatable. A clear understanding of your physical health will enable you to identify the areas in which you may need some help.
We are very lucky that mental stimulation can come in many forms. What we need to know is that the premise of keeping our minds stimulated involves learning new things everyday. Sequencing is important in our activities to stimulate the brain. Juggling, ballroom dancing, and chess are some of the more challenging methods that involve keeping focused and planning ahead. Janet B. Walsh Janet B. Walsh is the Chairman and CEO of Memory Concepts, a Web based Mental Fitness Program Offering Mind Strengthening Exercises Designed to Reduce the Risk of Memory Loss and Increase Brain Capacity for a Healthy Lifestyle. Ms. Walsh is also Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation and is the recipient of numerous honors and awards for her work in the field of memory loss E-mail: Info This course will provide support and guidance to caregivers, helping them move into this role with greater knowledge, awareness, and ease. Each session will begin with a presentation on relevant information and resources, followed by a question-and-answer and discussion period. You may sign up for the series, or for individual sessions. If you would like to attend these programs but are unable to do so due to caregiving responsibilities, our office can provide you with a list of volunteer programs and cost-effective alternatives for hiring an aid. ~ Please consider emailing me at: sgp2@cwru.edu , a small story of between 100 and 500 words, describing how some act of unselfish love for another, however small, was personally rewarding in any way for you. Maybe it just felt good to do good, or maybe you had some special insight. With Every Best Wish ~ "The Alzheimer's Monologues", by Mary Crescenzo, will run in a limited engagement at the Producers Club, 358 W 44th, NYC, Oct. 27, 29, 30, 31. "The Alzheimer's Monologues" uncover the hearts and minds and the horrors and revelations of patients, their families, and the staff that care for them. For tickets and discounts for adv. sales, students, and seniors, go to: www.theatermania.com
(September 28, 2004 - The New York Times News Service) -- Some states are paying far higher prices than others for prescription drugs under the Medicaid program, but data that would help them get a better deal are kept confidential by the federal government, a new report says. The report, by the Office of Inspector General in the Department of Health and Human Services, released Friday, was based on Medicaid prices paid on a sample of 28 different drugs in 2001. It found large variations on both brand-name and generic drugs. More ~ Conference: "Seasons of Eden: Tools for a Bountiful Harvest Honoring Elders, Empowering Caregivers, Building Relationships." (Oct. 24-27, 2004, Tacoma, Washington). Presentations by Dr. Bill Thomas and others. For registration and information, visit: ~ Governor Pataki signed into law a bill that empowers and protects Family Councils at New York nursing homes (A793, S7582). Family Councils are groups of relatives of nursing home residents and other regular visitors that meet regularly to monitor and make recommendations about the care provided by individual homes and to bring resident complaints and concerns to the attention of nursing home staff. Family Councils enhance resident quality of life and improve the care residents receive. Under it, facilities will be required to:
Summaries of the bill, the bill text, and the bill’s legislative history can be found at bill FRIA is a 25-year old, independent, consumer advocacy organization. It operates a free telephone help-line (212-732-4455) to assist New Yorkers with questions about nursing home placement, Medicaid, and nursing home care in general. FRIA operates the “Family Council Project,” which provides assistance to persons who wish to create and maintain councils. For additional information, visit the “Family Councils” page at FRIA’s web site, www.fria.org.
The Nature of Life includes the Eventual Miracle of Death, a rite of passage that deserves dignity and loving care. Imagine. . .creating your own home or family-run funeral. Final Passages is dedicated to a compassionate and dignified alternative to current funeral practices. “A Family Undertaking” explores the growing home-funeral movement by following several families in their most intimate moments as they reclaim the end of life, forgoing a typical mortuary funeral to care for their loved ones at home. On PBS Point of View (POV) See www.pbs.org/pov/pov2004/afamilyundertaking for schedules and information. Final Passages P.O. Box 1721, Sebastopol, CA 95473, (707) 824-0268 Email: info@finalpassages.org, http://www.finalpassages.org/ ~ The Hospice Alliance of Downstate New York, along with the Hospice And Palliative Care Association of New York State, the New Jersey Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, the National Organization for Empowering Caregivers, AARP, Friends & Relatives of the Institutionalized Aged, the New York Citizens’ Committee on Health Care Decisions, the Metropolitan Funeral Directors Association and the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association, have formed the Caring Coalition of Metro New York. ~ The Lifespan Respite Care Act authorizes competitive grants to states to make quality respite available and accessible to family caregivers, regardless of age, disability, or family situation. The bill allows grantees to identify, coordinate and build on federal, state and community-based respite resources and funding streams, and would help support, expand and streamline planned and emergency respite, provider recruitment and training, caregiver training, and evaluation. *To Join the ARCH National Respite Network and keep up to date on the bill and NRC activities, please email Mike Mathers at mmathers@chtop.org , ARCH, Chapel Hill Training-Outreach Project, Inc. For more information on the legislation, please contact Jill Kagan, ARCH National Respite Coalition at jbkagan@aol.com or 703-256-9578. Visit www.archrespite.org/nrc.htm ~ Washington Post Medicare will start paying for specialized brain scans in some patients to help determine if they have Alzheimer's disease, the federal agency that runs the reimbursement program announced yesterday. More ~ Pfizer ended its widely used discount card for the elderly, leaving Medicare beneficiaries at least temporarily without access to reduced prices for popular medicines. More ~ Despite increasing evidence that the debris generated by the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York made many people ill, the federal government has not conducted a coordinated or comprehensive study on the health effects, according to a government study given to the New York Times. The report by the Government Accountability Office, which is scheduled to be presented to Congress today, also finds that there is no federal treatment program for people suffering from problems caused by the debris. More. ~ ~ The NYC Department for the Aging has launched a Caregiver Website that many informal caregivers will find useful. While directed at New Yorkers, the site has abundant information available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Russian with more language versions available soon. Site ~ A University of Pittsburgh study shows that caregivers who make the difficult decision to place their relatives into institutionalized care don't feel relief from depression and anxiety. The leading researcher, Dr. Richard Schulz, said caregivers "continue to feel distressed because of the suffering and decline of their loved one as well as having to face new challenges such as frequent trips to the long-term care facility, reduced control over the care provided to their relatives, and taking on responsibilities such as coordinating and monitoring care." We need to understand caregivers' emotional distress, and educate them about the nature of long-term care facilities and their impact on patient functioning. More. ~ NEW YORK, NY September 10th—The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) today applauded passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of a proposal advanced by AFA to promote memory screenings as a tool that drives early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and related illnesses, and encourages successful aging. In applauding the legislative action, Eric J. Hall, AFA’s chief executive officer, said: "This is a critical first step in AFA's efforts to secure federal support for a national public-private memory screening initiative. We all need to stand together for care as this devastating disease continues to affect more Americans." AFA, a nonprofit organization, unites grassroots agencies from coast-to-coast that provide hands-on dementia care. Its services include a toll-free hotline—866-AFA-8484, counseling, educational materials, a caregiver magazine, and referrals to local resources. For more information, call 866-AFA-8484 or visit www.alzfdn.org. ~ appreciated. Upon acceptance, your original submission will be edited and published in an anthology, a collection of approximately 30 nternational submissions. To share you story, please contact: Liz Pearl, M.Ed. KOPE Associates In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15), The Alzheimer’s Association has created a special Web site that provides essential information about Alzheimer's and dozens of links to Spanish-language materials and Hispanic resources. There is lots of information and links to Spanish-language materials and Hispanic resources. The site can be viewed in English and in Spanish. Check it out at www.Alz org. ~ INFORMATIVE CAREGIVING ARTICLES & INSPIRATION Quotes Emancipate yourself from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds. Bob Marley My humanity is bound up with yours, for we can only be human together. Desmond Tutu He who hath compassion upon others receives compassion from Heaven Talmud We can do no great things – only small things with great love. Mother Teresa Unlimited love was called agape by the ancient Greeks to distinguish the divine love from earthly emotions. Unlimited love means total constant love for every person with no exception. Sir John Templeton What would you do if you knew that you could not fail? Robert Schuller One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon--instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today. Dale Carnegie When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us. Alexander Graham Bell The thousand mysteries around us would not trouble but interest us, if only we had cheerful, healthy hearts. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
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Senior Moments. A little old lady was running up and down the halls in a nursing home. As she walked, she would flip up the hem of her nightgown and say "Supersex." She walked up to an elderly man in a wheelchair. Flipping her gown at him, she said, "Supersex." He sat silently for a moment or two and finally answered, "I'll take the soup." Two guys were discussing their aging wives. One was quite sure his wife was going deaf. The other guy gave him a suggestion to test her hearing. "Here's what you do. Start about 40 feet away from her, and speak in a normal conversational tone and see if she hears you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and so on until you get a response". So, that evening, she's in the kitchen cooking dinner, and he's in the living room, and he says to himself, "I'm about 40 feet away, let's see what happens". "Honey, what's for supper?" No response. So, he moves to the other end of the room, about 30 feet away. "Honey, what's for supper?" No response. So, he moves into the dining room, about 20 feet away. "Honey, what's for supper?" No response. On to the kitchen door, only 10 feet away. "Honey, what's for supper?"No response. So, he walks right up behind her. "Honey, what's for supper?" "FOR THE FIFTH TIME, CHICKEN!!" ~ After examining his seventy-five year old patient, the doctor said, "You're in remarkable shape for a man your age." "Yes, I know," said the old gentleman. "I have only one complaint. My sex drive is too high. Is there anything you can do for that, Doc?" "Your what?!" gasped the doctor. "My sex drive," said the old man. "It's too high, and I'd like to have you lower it if you can." "Lower it?!" the doctor exclaimed, still unable to believe what the seventy- five year old gentleman was saying. "Just what do you consider 'high'?" "These days it seems like it's all in my head, Doc," said the old man, "and I'd like to have you lower it a couple of feet if you can." ~ After dying in a car crash, three friends go to Heaven for orientation. They are all asked the same question: "When you are in your casket, and friends and family are mourning over you, what would you like to hear them say about you?" The first guy immediately responds, "I would like to hear them say that I was one of the great doctors of my time, and a great family man." The second guy says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher who made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow". The last guy thinks a minute and replies, "I'd like to hear them say......LOOK, HE'S MOVING!!!!!" ~ THAT'S IT FOR THIS ISSUE Subscribe: empoweringcaregivers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com REGARDING THE FORWARDING OF THE NEWSLETTER: Please do not forward this letter or subscribe anyone if they have not given you permission. We would like you to share it with others, but we do not want those who are not open to receiving it to be subjected to your forwarding it without their express permission. Thank you. DISCLAIMER: The Empowering Caregivers Site and the Empowering Caregivers newsletter contain views, opinions, statements, and recommendations of third party individuals, writers, advertisers and organizations. Empowering Caregivers/www.care-givers.com does not represent or endorse the views, accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement, product or service displayed or distributed on this web site. You acknowledge that any reliance upon such opinion, advice, statement or information shall be at your sole risk. The information provided by Empowering Caregivers / www.care-givers.com is for educational purposes only and should not be treated as medical advice. Nothing contained on Empowering Caregivers/www.care-givers.com is intended to be for medical diagnosis or treatment or a substitute for consultation with a qualified healthcare professional. In no event will Empowering Caregivers / www.care-givers.com, its affiliates, partners, agents, or contractors be liable to you for any damages or losses resulting from or caused by Empowering Caregivers / www.care-givers.com and its services, including use of the community message boards and chat rooms, free email, free web pages, content (including articles, stories, news) or any errors or omissions in ts content, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. |
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