Support Caregivers

November 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

November is National Caregivers Month. Support your community. Find a caregiver and offer to email or call them. Offer to arrange a lunch for them. Offer your shoulder to cry on, to help carry the load of the world that’s on their shoulders. Encourage them to tell their story. Either in written form, or on line. There are many sites for caregivers to tell their stories.

It only takes a couple of minutes to form a friendship with an email. Particularly in your own neighborhood. Someone knows a caregiver.

Give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. Adopt A Caregiver.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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It Takes One Person, One Idea

November 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Yes, one person can make a difference, one idea can change the world as we see it.

When my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 1993, I thought my world came to an end. I wrote in a secret journal, I tried to smile. We had to keep it a secret and that was the hardest part.

When they changed the diagnosis in 2000, our world opened up and we smiled again. I showed my husband my journal and he said publish it. So I did last year. Behind The Mask was the catalyst for my idea for Adopt A Caregiver.

All it takes is an email to someone in your own community who is a caregiver. They would be so grateful for a friend, someone who listened, who let the vent, who didn’t judge. After all, you can’t judge if you haven’t stood in their shoes!

Behind The Mask is standing in one person’s shoes.

Adopt A Caregiver. It’s the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

visit www.adoptacaregiver.org

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Everyone Out Trick or Treating?

October 31, 2009 By Leave a Comment

No one in my building has rung our bell..I am a little bit surprised. I hope all the kids are out having fun and staying safe.

Looks like I will be knitting for a while longer. I just found out that I will be a great grandmother again in May. My grandson and his wife are pregnant. Hooray. My knitting this time around will be better..I h ave to finish the baby blanket, so I can start another.

Now I have to get back to exercising. It’s been weeks since I could and now everything is an effort.

Remember, November is National Caregiver Month. Please take the time to support the caregiver.

Also support our troops.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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Another Month Is Gone

October 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The days are flying by. I can’t believe that October is gone. And that I am glad, because it means only four more weeks before my new baby great granddaughter shows her face to the world. And we are all waiting. All eight great grandparents, to say nothing about grandparents. Her new room was entered into a contest and she won the Grand Prize! I think it will be posted on the web next week…exciting times.

It’s also Halloween. For twelve years we lived in a senior community. No one ever came to our door. Now we are in an apartment, and I wonder if the children will come and ring the door. I hope so.

Also, November is National Caregivers Month. I hope to be writing more about this tomorrow. So far I haven’t seen much written about it. I will talk about it.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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Time To Catch Up

October 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I have been neglecting things I should be doing, partly because of the stitches in my chest. Doctor said to do nothing, and I took her at her word.

So now, I am faced with the stuff I haven’t done, and I have to start exercising again, which I couldn’t do, catch up on paperwork, and get back up to speed on the computer.

I am still knitting up a storm, and I’m loving it, so am no going to stop that. In fact I’m off to the knitting store tomorrow, and will probably buy some more wool, to make something else for the new great grand daughter coming the end of November. It’s getting close now, and we are all vey excited. I think maybe another blanket. Can’t have too many blankets..I found something I really like so I’ll have a long project in the works.

Do what you love, take time to write your gratitude list, affirmations, and be the best you can be.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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Medical History Updates

October 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I knew somewhere in my brain that we all need medical histories. But it wasn’t until my daughter’s doctor asked for one that I sat down and recounted all that I knew.

Before this, I always told the kids, we come from good genes, my four grandparents lived to be in their eighties.

Then I had to break it down. I remembered that my grandfather had had TB and had been sent away for a rest, that he smoked and drank to excess. I remembered that my grandmother had bronchial asthma, and we always called her “The Princess and The Pea.” Do you think she might have had Fibromyalgia??? She got breast cancer in her eighties. Does this count?

My parents had arthritis, my father had a stroke, and he died from colon cancer. I always said that he ate the fat, then ate the meat. Did that matter? I doubt it. My parents both smoked. My mother died from Emphysema.

I have asthma, and other things also. But they belong in my medical history and not here. My point is that all of us should sit down and write out our medical histories. It’s important for our children and grandchildren to know all the facts.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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Out Of The Box

October 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

This is something I wrote a long time ago, and as I reread it tonight, I thought I would share these words with you.

Out Of The Box

The box is a metaphor of life. I used to be in a box and no, it wasn’t fun. Dwelling in the past dredges up old painful memories, and also some good memories.

But now, life is beautiful. No longer is my inner self hidden away in a box. I am free. Free to soar, to speak freely, and to make wonderful new memories.

I’m even free to be a kid again. To remember the good memories, few as they were at times.

I like the new me. My best qulities are still hanging around with my permission and those other qualities are allowed to come out and play, but under restrictions.

I try not to allow anger ad mistrust to fill my days. Those thoughts fly in and are blown out gently but firmly.

Instead I have to time to make each and every day a day filled with love and sunshine.

The box sits inside, empty, tied with a purple ribbon. I’d gladly give it away, but I need it to remind me of who I am, where I’ve come from and where I’m going.

by Helene Moore

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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Lists

October 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

My lists keep growing. I have to unpack my winter clothes, probably throw out the things I can’t fit into anymore. I have to store my summer things. Where? Have to get used to apartment living.

The vest I was knitting. It’s too hard. It was marked easy, and it’s not. So, I guess, I will have to sit in the knitting store as I knit it. Or have someone else finish it for me. Too expensive, I think. I’d rather be knitting for the new baby coming in five weeks!!!! Can’t wait. I already have my eyes on a baby sweater..

Lists of things to do, things I want to do. Lists of things to write about, memoir stories, short stories. Lists of cleaning out clutter. How does it accumulate so fast. We’ve only been in California since May!

Guess I’m just a pack rat. Lists of things I shouldn’t do anymore.

Hey, I’m human. Thank God.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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Time

October 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment

We all think about time in a different way, don’t we?

I thought about it today. I got my seven stitches out from the skin cancer on my chest, and I am allergic to all the bandages. Such a simple thing, but boy can it hurt when your chest is burning from the tape. I took it off right away, and it was the right thing to do.

So what made me think about time? Well, the nurse said it would be at least two more weeks before I can do exercise. Two more weeks? That’s a lot of time. Guess I have to call it time to heal.

There is all kinds of healing, you all know that for yourselves.

There is also time to forgive. Don’t wait for the right time, do it soon, before it’s too late.

There is also time for yourself. To think your own thoughts, feel your emotions,  and sometimes I write the ‘right’ .. I write about my feelings or my thoughts. I think about people I haven’t talked to in a long time. I think I will write to them, and it never happens.

I think about caregivers and how I can support them best. Adopt A Caregiver is a wonderful idea. It’s truly the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing.

But people have to know about it. I hope I inspire you to share.

www.adoptacaregiver.org

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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Adopt A Caregiver

October 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

It’s been a long time since I have talked about Adopt A Caregiver. To all those new to my blog, please know this is my way of giving back.

I have stood in the shoes of caregiver, (for seven years) and I know what it feels like For me, it might have been a little bit more difficult because we were strongly advised to keep the Alzheimer’s Diagnosis a secret.

To smile, to stay sane, to face the challenges, the fear, and the anger, I started a secret journal on my computer. I poured myself into it, all my emotions, my fears, and yes, my tears.

Seven long hard years later, the diagnosis was changed to AAMI (Age Associated Memory Impairment) and we resumed life.

In 2008 I published my journal as Behind The Mask. Basically, to show caregivers that they are not alone in their feelings. But also, so that others could understand what the caregiver was going through.

Thus, Adopt A Caregiver was born. I would love for everyone to look around their community and find a caregiver. Adopt his/her. Just send an email and ask to be their friend. Do not judge, let them vent, let them talk, just be there. You have no idea how much this will fulfill your life. Try it.

Adopt A Caregiver. Give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing.

Then let me know how it feels.

www.adoptacaregiver.org

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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