 |
|||
|
Choices ~ Healing ~ Love These past few weeks, I have observed people bustling about in an effort to ready themselves for the holiday season; tourists maneuvering in and ourt of the department stores and boutiques; the Christmas tree lit up in Rockefeller Center and an abundance of decorations throughout the streets, I sense a frenetic energy that has been coupled with a transit strike to boot. I have noticed one thing through it all... and that is that we are resourceful and we rebound. And this is something for us to remember as caregivers.. For as I listen to many caregivers sharing their challenges and stories, through the depths of their heartaches, tears, fears and mixed emotions.... they too are remarkably resourceful and pull through each experience in the own time and in their own way.. I wonder how many shoppers and planners are enjoying the process rather than worrying about the end product. Society has become so goal-oriented so material minded and very little journey-oriented. We want to get there without being there. Yet both are important. When will the value of love become of more value then the material gift that we struggle to give.. the gifts are from within... and this is an opportunity to really empower one's self by giving and feeling the peace that comes from that unconditional loving space.. Feeling the tensions and stress all beginning to melt inside... May your journey be gentle and beautiful! While National Organization For Empowering Caregivers and Empowering Caregivers currently serve over a million visitors each year from all parts of the globe, we continuously strive to support your emotional needs with support in our chats, at our message boards, in response to your emails, with our referrals and programs and so much more. The feedback you give to us is awesome and we are grateful to hear your shared stories of how we have impacted the quality of your lives. NOFEC is a 502(c)(3) charitable non profit organization. Thanks to gifts and grants provided to us by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Alzheimer's Foundation of America, Marble Collegiate Church and your individual contributions we are now providing respite to family caregivers on a weekly basis here in the Metro New York City area. A wonderful article on Caregiving in "Cooking Light" featured our chat and message board host, Robin Arce drawing even more attention to our organization with more referrals, more support and connections. Your donation to NOFEC's Annual Appeal is important to the continued support for family caregivers through all the existing programs we are offer both on and offline. NOFEC's operations are run entirely by volunteers who are dedicated and caring. We are supported solely by grants, sponsorships and personal donations on and offline from members and personal friends like you. We are reaching out to ask you for your continued support. If Empowering Caregiverds has touched your life or the life of someone you know, please help us to sustain and continue to grow and serve those caregivers in need of our services. No donation is too small.. we know you will be as generous as you can. Please make your online donations at: Donations. You may also mail your donation to us : NOFEC at 425 West 23rd Street Suite 9B, New York, New York 10011. If you have any questions please contact us at:212.807.1204 We welcome your tax-deductible gift. Gail R. Mitchell 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 our Caregiver Survey. Your input is extremely valuable and we will respect your privacy. Your support in filling in our survey will help us and our funders to study the areas where programming is most needed and where it will be most effective. Survey. Are You A Caregiver In New York City? If you are a family caregiver residing in New York City, please contact us to see if you are eligible for respite provided by our trained volunteers. Through a grant provided by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and additional funding through Marble Collegiate Church and the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, we are now offering respite services to those caregivers residing in our catchments' area consisting of Fifth Avenue to the Hudson River and from West 59th street to Houston Street. For more information or to become a member of our coalition or to volunteer your gift of time, please contact us at 212.807.1204. We look forward to hearing from you.
~ Kenneth (Ken) Carr aka pastcarr -is from Upstate New York. Caregiving can really be a lonesome 'job' but being able to get into the chat room takes that loneliness away from so many caregivers at the end of the day. ~
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.
~ ~ Articles At Empowering Caregivers Creating Rituals For Your Loved One Loneliness During The Holidays The Holiday Season: How To Celebrate And Not Gain Weight! The Holidays Are Coming: How To Make Them Sane & Satisfying Coping With Holidays As A Caregiver For Someone With Alzheimer Daily Resolutions Or New Years? Letter To Parents At Christmas Sharing The Joys Of The Holiday Season Thoughts and Prayers for Christmas and New Years Top Of Page
Medicare and Prescription Prescription Part D There is so much legislation going on very quickly, it is difficult to keep abreast about it all and make knowlegeable choices for loved ones. I encourage you to click on the link above through Medicare Interactive as it is a non profit site funded and kept updated to serve caregivers and loved ones during these times to help you make the best decisions. Senator Hillary Clinton sent a letter to us re: a bill involving the Senate leadership's proposed budget bill that will cut $39.7 billion from programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, student loans, and child support enforcement that help working families maintain their self sufficiency. You can read this letter at: letter If you are worried or concerned about whether to enroll in the new Medicare drug benefit? Stop. Remember, you have until May 15th 2006 to assess your situation, explore your options, and use available tools to make a good decision. If you have drug coverage now that is creditable (equal to or better than Medicare’s basic drug benefit) you should keep it. Whoever provides your current coverage, i.e, an employer, retiree plan, union, or state pharmaceutical assistance program, should have sent this information, if not call and ask for it. If your current coverage is creditable you can keep it and enroll in the Medicare drug benefit later with no penalty as long as you are not without your coverage for more than 63 days. Your employer or retiree coverage may work with Medicare’s drug coverage, in which case you can have both. Be aware that if you enroll in the Medicare drug plan and it does not work with your employer or retiree coverage, you risk being dropped by your plan and may never get it back. If your current coverage is too expensive or covers less than Medicare’s, you can drop it and buy Medicare drug coverage instead. If you do not have drug coverage, make a list of your prescriptions and the amounts you pay for them each month. Find out how much you would pay for a drug plan, including the monthly premium. You can call Medicare or use their online comparison tool to learn more about drug plan premiums, deductibles and copays. You may find that you will save money through a Medicare drug plan. Just make sure that this plan covers the drugs you need and will work at the pharmacies you frequent. Remember: every plan is different. If you have low drug costs, Medicare drug coverage may cost you money now but it could provide savings in the long run, for example, if you were to suddenly get sick. If you do not sign up for a plan and do not have creditable coverage you will have to pay more if you enroll later. In 2006, the enrollment period ends May 15th. If your income is low you may qualify for Extra Help (a federal program that helps pay for your Medicare drug coverage). You can call Social Security or apply through their website. If you decide not to get the drug benefit, there may be other low-cost ways to get the drugs you need. To find out, call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program. Remember, you still have time and options. Take advantage of both. Log on to Medicare Interactive or from their website to find helpful links and phone numbers, including Medicare’s and Social Security’s, to ensure that you make the most informed decision possible. This internet resource has been made available by the Medicare Rights Center, the largest independent source of health care information and assistance in the United States for people with Medicare. The deadline for signing up without penalty, unless and until it is changed to a later date, is May 15, 2006, and you can change providers once a year. Medicare Interactive
The Lifespan Respite Task Force meeting has been postponed until January 6th 2006. Dear ______________: Please cosponsor the Lifespan Respite Care Act (HR 3248, S 1283). The bill authorizes competitive grants to states to make quality respite available and accessible to family caregivers, regardless of age, disability, or family situation. Respite, the most frequently requested family support service among the more than 50 million family caregivers nationwide, provides family caregivers with relief necessary to maintain their own health, bolster family stability, keep marriages intact, and avoid or delay much more costly nursing home or foster care placements. In our own state of _________________, respite is desperately needed for all family caregivers. [Fill in any need or outcome data you may have or personalize it to your own family's needs] Sign your name _______________________________ ~
As a free-lancer, I’m working with a book publisher called Hundreds of Heads Publishing. They make a series of books that use quotes from “regular” people who have been there, done that.
I’m working on “How to Survive Your Aging Parents.” I’m looking for people who are interested in answering questions on this topic ranging from how to handle inevitable changes, how to deal with financial issues, how to find help for older adults, how to work out transportation issues and so on. I need to ask 3-4 questions and I can e-mail you or find a time to talk on the phone. If you’d like to check out more information about Hundreds of Heads Publishing, you can visit them online at http://www.hundredsofheads.com. For more information about me and my free-lance work, you can visit my own site at www.writtencreations.net. Stacey A. Shannon, M.A. Written Creations, LLC stacey@writtencreations.net (765) 289-0642 ~ We Can Help. Medicare is changing. Beginning in 2006, Medicare will offer prescription drug coverage, and there is extra help available for people with limited incomes and resources. If you qualify for the extra help, the government will cover between 85 to 100 percent of your prescription drug costs. Find out if you qualify for this extra help by going to BenefitsCheckUpRx™ www.benefitscheckup.org/ or contacting trusted sources near you. ~.
~
Love isn’t like a reservoir. You’ll never drain it dry. It’s much more like a natural spring. The longer and farther it flows, the stronger and deeper and clearer it becomes. Eddie Cantor Your life becomes the thing you have decided it shall be. Raymond Charles Barker Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. Ralph Waldo Emerson When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. Helen Keller I have always believed that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value. Hermann Hesse Just don't give up on trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong. Ella Fitzgerald The miracle is this--the more we share, the more we have. Leonard Nimoy It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. Antoine de Saint-Exupery - The Little Prince This current November newsletter touched me. I'm tired , alone, do not share with anyone, unless you have walked in the shoes of the hells, and have experienced the suffering of someone you love very deeply, you probably wouldn’t really care and therefore do not qualify as an ear , so I keep s_ _ _ bottled up . Thanks for you newsletter! - Jerry A group of senior citizens were exchanging notes about their ailments. 'My arm is so weak I can hardly hold this coffee cup.' 'Yes, I know. My cataracts are so bad I can't see to pour the coffee.' 'I can't turn my head because of the arthritis in my neck.' 'My blood pressure pills make me dizzy.' 'I guess that's the price we pay for getting old.' 'Well, it's not all bad. We should be thankful that we can still drive!' ~ A father noticed that his son was spending way too much time playing computer games. In an effort to motivate the boy into focusing more attention on his schoolwork, the father said to his son, 'When Abe Lincoln was your age; he was studying books by the light of the fireplace.' The son replied, 'Dad, when Lincoln was your age, he was The President of The United States!!!' ~ I know what Victoria's Secret is. The secret is that nobody older than 30 can fit into their stuff. ~ 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.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
| EMPOWERING CAREGIVERS™ is trademarked. All Information on this website is owned by Gail R. Mitchell. This includes but is not limited to the journal exercises, Newslet | |||
NEW CAREGIVING ARTICLES AT THE SITE
