Open to Hope Articles
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Creating Memorial Services with Heart
March 4, 2009
By Carol O’Dell Creating a meaningful memorial service for your loved one is cathartic, and you don’t have to wait until your loved one passes to begin to think about what they — and you — want and need. It’s a part of caregiving you’d rather not think about, but it’s the last thing you can do to honor their wishes and gather everyone around to reminisce, consol each other, and share precious memories. Planning funerals and/or memorial services takes time, and you’d rather spend those last few weeks and days your loved one has on earth at their side. […]
Caregiver’s Support Group
February 25, 2009
I have to admit that I didn’t attend a caregiver support group while I was caring for my mom. Not everyone is the “group” type. I started full time caregiving back in 1998 and honestly, I didn’t even know caregiving support groups existed. I had decided that I wasn’t going to go and talk about my mother! Yeah, I’m stubborn. By the time I figured out my way in “caregiving land,” my mom was pretty far along. It’s not that I didn’t need a support group. I’m sure my friends were sick of my griping and whining. But honestly, what little energy […]
Happy Birthday?
February 21, 2009
I have to be honest with everyone. I have been struggling all week knowing that Sunday was going to be here. Sunday is usually a great day. People everywhere sleep in, attend religious services, or better yet have a big breakfast with the family and lounge around till noon. But this Sunday has a whole new meaning for me. This Sunday (February 22nd) is my Dad’s birthday. Everyone who has experienced the pain and devastation of losing a loved one knows that besides all major holidays there are two dates that always jump out at […]
Little Token, Big Meaning
February 15, 2009
You know sometimes in life the littlest thing can make the biggest difference. It can be the words you have been longing to hear, the smile from that special person you have been waiting for, or a token of someone’s gratitude for a job well done. This past Thursday I gave a mini presentation to a local Jaycee group about my mission to raise $1 million for Habitat for Humanity through the sale of my book I Miss My Dad… First, the Jaycees are a nationwide organization who’s sole purpose is to help people in need. They help […]
What’s Really Important
February 12, 2009
Many times in life we don’t realize who is in our lives, and the important role they play in our lives, until they are no longer there. It is so easy to go by day after day and go through the same routine, with no conscious thought as to how others in your life might be doing or what they are going through. No matter what you are going through at any time in your life, always know there probably is someone going through tougher times in their life. Do not take these people for granted, because […]
Alzheimer’s and Violence, “I Don’t Want Anyone to Know How Bad It Is”
February 10, 2009
Have you stopped having people come into your home because you don’t want them to see your dad/husband or wife “that way?” Are you hiding how awful it really is? Alzheimer’s, Lewy Body, dementia and other neurological based diseases affect the brain in different ways. Some individuals become docile, too docile. They stop talking, and pretty much stop moving. For others, Alzheimer’s turns them into a fidget machine. They pace incessantly, talk, babble, rant, need next to no sleep, and when forced to sit, their knee jiggles non-stop. Others are paranoid and will lash out at anyone who tries to touch them–it’s as […]
Super man, super son…
February 3, 2009
Yesterday was one of my favorite days of the year: Super Bowl Sunday. I couldn’t care less each year who is in the game although there are some teams I definitely like better than others and I was rooting for the Steelers. We witnessed arguably one of the greatest Super Bowls ever as Pittsburgh beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23. What was super about this game was the players on both sides fighting for a common goal. Had the Cardinals won the game, nobody would have argued that Larry Fitzgerald, the Cardinals star wide receiver who caught two touchdowns […]
Remembrances on the Anniversary of a Death
January 24, 2009
For any of you who have experienced a loss of any kind, the anniversary of that loss is sometimes one of the hardest days of the year to get through. It brings back good memories, bad memories and everything in between. For all of you loyal readers out there, that time is here for me once again. January 29th marks the 3rd anniversary of my Dad dying from an unexpected heart attack. So much has happened in those three years. So many things have stayed the same, and yet so many things are different. […]
The last man standing…
January 16, 2009
The old saying, “Save the best for last” never rings more true in certain situations in life. When my godfather died in 1992, at age 44, I was a senior in high school and was devastated. It was my first lesson in life that anyone could die young, even in your own family. He never had any kids but I always felt that when we were together he treated me like his own. I remember every birthday when I was younger I used to get a box of Topps baseball cards. The really big […]
