Can Your Faith Survive a Terrible Loss?
Posted on May 6, 2008 - by Barbara Francis
Writer Barbara Francis describes her spiritual struggle after the death of a close friend.
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Are You a Bad Caregiver? Do You Know One? Signs of Elder Abuse
Posted on May 5, 2008 - by Carol O'Dell
No, you’re not.
Bad caregivers don’t seek out blogs on caregiving.
They don’t attend caregiving seminars and workshops.
They don’t worry about how they’re treating their loved ones.
Bad caregivers feel completely justified in their actions.
So, lay that aside.
If you lost your temper, it’s okay.
Make a plan on how to avoid it in the future.
Make a plan on how […]
Have You Had Your Happy Fix?
Posted on May 2, 2008 - by Carol O'Dell
We always think that happiness is “out there.”
When I get a new job, when I take vacation, when I lose 30 pounds, when…
Happiness is not that hard. We make it hard. Happiness is having new eyes. A fresh perspective.
After I moved my mother in with us to care for her, (she had Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s), […]
Do You Resent Your Sibling For Not Helping You Care Give?
Posted on May 2, 2008 - by Carol O'Dell
In most families, there is a primary caregiver no matter how many siblings there are. Some try to divvy up the responsibilities, but it?s rarely equal distribution because of differing people?s lives?jobs, distance, abilities, etc. In many families, one sibling gets the brunt of the responsibility.
?
And even if you agreed to it, over time, […]
A Twinless Twin
Posted on May 1, 2008 - by admin
I am a doctoral student in the School of Nursing at Columbia and I?just listened to your show on twin loss.? My name is Kevin Johnson,? and I had a wonderful twin brother named Kelvin Johnson.? Kelvin died?February 25, 2007.? It is a loss that I do not know how to move on in?life with.? […]
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Poem: First Place in Poetry Contest: I’ve Stopped Looking For Him
Posted on May 1, 2008 - by admin
I’ve Stopped Looking for Him
by Kim Hodne
I?ve stopped looking for him everywhere
I?m not sure when that happened
I don?t search for him in crowds
Or his car on the road
I?ve stopped looking for him
Biking on the paths
Swimming in the ocean
Skiing down the hills
I?ve stopped watching for him
To pull up the drive way
And run in with a hug
And […]
What’s Worse Than Being a Caregiver?
Posted on May 1, 2008 - by Carol O'Dell
A friend of mine called me from her mother’s bedside.
Her mother?was dying. In-patient hospice. It wouldn’t be long.
My heart ached. I knew her mother. I could hear the sound of her voice in my head.
She was 78 years old. Not that old, but cancer doesn’t care–young, old.
Everyone had flown on to say their good byes. […]
Do You Have Restless Caregiver Syndrome?
Posted on April 29, 2008 - by Carol O'Dell
Do you feel like running away?
You may have restless caregiver syndrome.
What?s that, you ask?
I may have made up the term, but I certainly experienced it firsthand.
Have you seen the commercials for restless leg syndrome?
They?re kind of quirky, and I?m not saying that it?s not a serious disorder, but it?s presented […]
What’s Your Caregiving Personality Type?
Posted on April 28, 2008 - by Carol O'Dell
Different personalities handle life, death, and caregiving differently.
We all have gifts to offer the world and to offer as a caregiver.?\
Stop trying to be something you’re not.
Stop trying to be your mother.
There are things you’re good at things you aren’t.
Accept this and let go of the guilt.?
By examining your basic personality traits, you can […]
The Power of Forgiveness
Posted on April 27, 2008 - by Carol O'Dell
One of the practices hospice?recommends is to ask your loved one’s fforgiveness–and to offer yours.
I’ve been thinking about this all day. The importance, or power of forgiveness and how it might keep us here on earth, lingering. Everything hospice does is to make passing easy, comfortable, and to give a sense of closure to everyone.
And […]
Open to Hope is an online community offering inspirational stories of loss, hope and recovery. We believe hope is the bridge between loss and recovery.
