Time

July 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Time flies, we have so much to do each day. Little things get left undone. Maybe I speak for myself, but as I have aged, I find it takes more time to get ready in the morning, more time to put make up on, since I need a magnifying glass to see with, longer to make and eat breakfast and so goes the day.

But, I do stop myself during the day. I stop and think about how grateful that I am to be around all my children and grandchildren, and that they still want to be around me.

I stop and think about all the people who have to work and take care of others.

I think about caregivers all the time. I think about something that I wrote, but did not include in my book, Behind The Mask. Some thought it was too harsh. Maybe.

Maybe not.

Come back tomorrow and I will write that passage here in the blog.

Yes, I think about caregivers. I have stood in their shoes. Everyone needs to stand in the other persons shoes before making any judgments about them.

Give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. Adopt A Caregiver, and tell them your friend Helene sent you.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

visit my  website

www.adoptacaregiver.org

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Cataract Surgery

July 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Yes, my husband needs cataract surgery. The doctor wants it done soon. So, August 8th is the date.

I just need new glasses, as my eyes have really changed. I’m grateful that I can read, write, see, drive, and do anything with my eyes that I want. I feel so bad for people with low vision. Missing the spectacular colors of nature, the people you love whose faces are blurred, I have empathy.

You need to stand in someone’s shoes and feel their emotions and then have empathy for them. Listen to what they are saying, really listen, without interrupting.

Especially to caregivers. Their work is never over. Some of them can’t get out to a support group. All it takes is an email to a new caregiver in you community. Be a friend, listen, don’t judge, have empathy, it’s a wonderful way to give something back. The caregivers need anything we can help them with.

Don’t know what it’s like to stand in the caregivers shoes? Read Behind The Mask by Helene Moore. It’s my secret journal that I finally published after they changed my husbands diagnois from Alzheimer’s Disease to Age Associated Memory Impairment. I never expected to let others see my writing, I put my guts into it, but if it helps someone it was the right thing to do.

My book, Behind The Mask, has helped people. Believe me, I have written thank you’s about how it helped others. That means so much to me.

Give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. Adopt A Caregiver, and tell them your friend Helene sent you.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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Sleep

July 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Blessed sleep, something I never, or seldom get. Fibromyalgia is the culprit, or part of it, doesn’t matter, the bottom line is my sleep is terrible. Very seldom do I get a full nights sleep. Some nights I get no sleep at all, and all this with the help of a sleeping pill.

I’ve gotten used to it, I don’t like it, my husband doesn’t like it, but hey, it is what it is. I’m grateful when I get 4-6 hours sleep, and truthfully, I have to nap most days. It’s funny, on the days I do nap, I sleep better at night. Most of you are thinking, don’t nap, you’ll sleep better at night. That doesn’t work for me. Believe me, I’ve tried it.

But I’m grateful when I sleep, and when I can’t I accept it. I forgive myself for not doing everything I think I should be doing in a day. I forgive myself when I’m not up to par.

Imagine how the caregiver feels. it’s so hard to stand in someone else’s shoes. Another reason I published my secret journal, Behind The Mask. Being a  caregiver is hard enough, it’s even harder when you have to keep it a secret as I did.

I hope my story inspires others to Adopt A Caregiver. Every caregiver needs a friend, someone who won’t judge them, lets them vent, talk, get it out, someone who encourages the caregiver to forgive themselves, to journal, to listen to music and to just be there.

Give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. Adopt A Caregiver and tell them your friend Helene sent you.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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Compassion

July 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I used to think I was a compassionate person. I looked up to older people, held the door open for them, felt for the underpriviledged, those less fortunate than myself, and then I became a caregiver.

I was a caregiver for seven long hard years when my husband was suddenly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and we were advised to keep the diagnosis a secret. He was a highly functioning individual, still working, and we couldn’t take the chance of his losing his living. Not yet.

I started a secret journal, which I later published as Behind The Mask. This journal showed my emotions, my thoughts, my fears and everything I was going through and I wondered about all caregivers. Did they feel the same way I did? Were they worried about their spouses, their parents, their future, their alone time? Did they worry about being a burden to their children? Did anyone wonder about the caregiver? Did anyone care?

Compassion, now I know all about it.

I started Adopt A Caregiver, which means that in your own community, find a caregiver. Send an email, offer to be their friend. Do not abandon the caregiver, have compassion for what they are going through. Help them, support them, encourage them to help themselves. Do not judge, for you have not stood in their shoes.

Give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. Adopt A Caregiver and tell them your friend Helene sent you.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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To My Good Friends, The Caregivers

July 12, 2009 By 2 Comments

I hope you will visit my new website, www.adoptacaregiver.org and I hope you will comments on my blog and tell me your favorite sites to visit. I’m always curious as to what you are thinking, if you have time to browse on the internet, if you have someone in your life to lean on in these hard times for you.

People call, they do, and they ask, “How’s the patient?” Do the ask how you are? You, the caregiver, is just as affected as the patient. I hope you get some consideration from your doctor and your family and friends.

I’m trying to get everyone to  Adopt A Caregiver. I know how important it is to have a friend, someone who doesn’t judge, just listens.

So in your community people, reach out and Adopt A Caregiver. Dont’t know how a caregiver feels, read my book, my secret journal, that no one saw until I published it. Behind The Mask by Helene Moore. It’s available on my website, signed and mailed immediately.

Give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. Adopt A Caregiver, and tell them your friend Helene Moore sent you.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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Dear Caregiver

July 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I hope you already know about my book, Behind The Mask, and that it prompted me to start an Adopt A Caregiver journey. I propose that neighbors in the community find out if there is a caregiver who lives near them, and that they contact his/her with an email. To be a friend, to listen, to let you, the caregiver, vent and to keep in touch with you, no matter what else is going on in your life.

Is there anything you, the caregiver, would like to add. What would you advise me to tell my blogging audience? Help me to help you.

Visit my www.adoptacaregiver.org website, read it, and contact me with advice on how to help you.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene Moore

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Caregivers On My Mind

June 30, 2009 By 2 Comments

Caregivers have been on my mind. There have been so many new studies and findings in Alzheimer’s Disease, as seen on many websites. One I like is the Alzheimer’s Daily News. There are so many, too many to list, but for those who just want simple articles can do in depth with the above website.

One of the big shoe companies is making a GPS tracking chip that can be used for Alzheimer’s patients who are wandeing around. The chip makes finding these people quickly a huge factor in preventing accidents.

Other news is more and more people are being diagnosed, many early onset, meaning by the age of 63. I believe in early diagnosis and doing everything you can aggressively to slow down the progress of the disease.

So, what about the caregivers? Some people are caregivers by nature. But what about the others who are thrust into the position sometimes with no warning. These people are overwhelmed, alone, feeling abandoned, scared of the future, not knowing which way to turn. We can help.

What does it take to support a caregiver. Look into your own community and find a caregiver. A community is where you work, live, go to school, play bridge, golf, or attend a social club, church,  or synagogue. It only takes a few minutes to send an email, offer to be his/her friend, let someone introduce you, someone who knows this person. Start a friendship, you remember how to do that, don’t you? Listen, learn, feel. Do not judge.

If you don’t know how it feels to be standing in a caregivers shoes, read Behind The Mask by Helene Moore. This is my secret journal written during the seven years my husband had the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. We were one of the very rare few who had the diagnosis changed. We are blessed and this is my way of giving back.

Give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. Adopt A Caregiver and tell them your friend Helene Moore sent you.

Keep love and kisses in your life Helene

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Writing Bits And Pieces

June 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Some of my favorite ways to start writing are:

Open the thesaurus, find several vivid verbs, then pick a person, a place, and a thing and start writing.

Another way is to take one letter and write a story using as many words starting with that one letter. It’s fun and easy to do.

Go through some old journals and highlight events and good writing and use in an essay or anecdote.  Some good material might come out of this execise.

If you wonder about whether or not to include something in your memoir, afraid of hurting someone’s feelings, remember it’s your memoir and your memory, write it. Don’t let it stop you from writing.

When writing an email, remember that someone is reading this and you want it to read as if you were talking to this person. Make it personal, write it well, and send it knowing you did the best you could.

Send an email to someone who needs to hear from you. Forget the jokes, write something personal and meaningful so that person will want to open each and every one of your emails as soon as they get them.

Remember to support the caregivers. There are some in your community and they need a friend. Won’t you please give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. Adopt A Caregiver, and tell them your friend Helene Moore sent you.

If you want to stand in a caregivers shoes, my secret journal is available on this website and on Amazon. Behind The Mask, written while my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and we had to keep it a secret because he was still working as a highly functional individual.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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One Thing Leads To Another

June 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

It’s always amazing to me to see how one thing leads to another. It could be in writing Memoirs. One memory triggers another and another and before you know it you have written several stories.

In my case, it was my own book, Behind The Mask that led to Adopt A Caregiver. Call it Bershert (meant to be) or call it one thing leading to another. After my book came out, I realized that I wanted to help support caregivers. They need the help as much as the patient does. But, who is going to be there for them?

How many times does someone call and ask, “How is the patient?”

How many times do the ask how the caregiver is doing?

There are more and more caregivers all the time and they could use some friendship and support. I call it giving back.

Give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. Adopt A Caregiver and tell them your friend Helene Moore sent you.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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Father's Day

June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

To all of you father’s out there, I’m wishing you a healthy happy Father’s Day.  To all the Father’s who aren’t there, or who don’t know us anymore, we know somewhere locked inside you know we love you, and will always remember you with love in our hearts.

I pray for speedy recoveries, for breakthroughs in medicine for Alzheimer’s Disease and all the other terrible diseases that are afflicting more people that we know.

I pray for help for the caregivers who work 24/7 no matter how tired or sick they become. They are not talking about it, not seeking help, not venting, keepng it inside and I pray that will change.

Give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. Adopt A Caregiver, there is one in your community. Look around, send an email. That’s all it takes.

If you don’t know how a caregiver feels, read Behind The Mask by Helene Moore.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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