My last post was right before my final deadline to turn in a complete manuscript for Take Care Tips. I got everything in on time, the pros, my friends at St. Lynn's Press did their polishing and tweaking, and the book went to print.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Hello, again
My last post was right before my final deadline to turn in a complete manuscript for Take Care Tips. I got everything in on time, the pros, my friends at St. Lynn's Press did their polishing and tweaking, and the book went to print.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Caregiving Issues from a Broadway Star
Anthony Rapp chose Pittsburgh's City Theater to launch a show he co-wrote based on his NY Times best-selling memoirs, called Without You.
Without You revolves around Rapp's personal stories of love and loss. It touches on what it was like for Rapp to audition and win the lead part of Marc in Rent. It also tells a very personal, emotional story of how he dealt with his mother's long, hard battle with cancer.
Rapp doesn't hide his anger. Why did his mom have to be sick like that? Why did he have to see her like that? It was heart-wrenching and uncomfortable to hear; but also strangely inspirational.
There are definitely angry caregivers out there; and I think it's important for those caregivers to know that it's OK for them to feel that way.
Some of the experts I've talked to for Take Care! tell me that most of that anger is rooted in the situation, not at the person. When a loved one is sick or dying, it's actually 100% normal to feel upset, and even mad. But, many caregivers don't allow themselves the freedom to experience those kinds of feelings. They work hard to block any negative feelings out; so that they can go about their job of trying to keep everyone happy and calm.
Part of the reason so many audiences love Rent is that it sends out a big message for people to do what they need to do to LIVE with disease; instead of die from it. Rapp seems to support that way of thinking and has formed healthy thoughts about pushing through tough times to get to the other side. He joined the Board of Directors for a NY based caregiving support group called Friends in Deed.
After the show, I got to talk with Rapp about Take Care! and about the caregiving themes I felt coming through in his show. He agreed to an interview for the book. I'm looking forward to talking with him.
j.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Online Support for Caregivers
Studies show that caregivers tend to withdraw from social situations, and even friends...partly because they feel they just don't have the time to commit to anything for themselves.
Staying connected is so important for your mental health, and I love what one organization I know about is doing to help caregivers stay connected---on their own time, without even having to leave the house!
The National Family Caregivers Association (celebrating its 15th anniversary) is launching e-communities around the country to help family caregivers to be able to reach out to others near where they live. These caregiving communities have already been established in Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Virginia, and more are on the way!
Through these communities, people register and then email others to begin conversations, and share helpful information.
I am looking forward to the opportunity to interview Suzanne Mintz, president and co-founder of NFCA for Take Care! Her personal story of caregiving is inspirational, and her crusade to make life easier for other family caregivers has wonderful support and power. I just received a copy of Mintz's book, A Family Caregiver Speaks Up, which offers information regarding how caregivers can best work within the healthcare system, as well as discussion on the effects of public policy in a caregiver's life.
Mintz has been on the Today show and other national programs as a strong advocate for caregiving issues. I'll keep you posted on when I'm able to have a discussion with her.
j.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Good Night!
Caregiving and sleep deprivation can go hand in hand. Our bodies desprately need sleep though, and it's important to try to find ways to increase the length and better the quality of sleep. The Take Care! chapter on Sleep has been keeping me up at nights lately.
I've been finding out some really interesting facts about the critical role that sleep plays in our lives. I've come across some pretty startling statistics about sleep---actually lack of sleep---too:
---The National Institutes of Health estimates 30 million Americans are living with chronic sleep problems.
---A conservative estimate states that 100,000 car crashes a year can be blamed on drowsy drivers.
---People who regularly get less than six hours of sleep a night die younger than those who get more sleep a night.
We work hard during the day and our body-machines need rest to recharge and recuperate. Studies on professional caregivers: doctors, nurses, physician assistants, etc.' show that percentages of errors in medical treatment go up when the professionals are on schedules that leave them sleep-deprived.
If the medical community is recognizing that they need to do what they can to restructure schedules so that well-rested teams are fully prepared to treat sick patients, we family caregivers should certainly pay attention. This is a clear cut example of the need for us to care for ourselves so that we can take care of others.
Gathering Ten Minute Tips for this chapter has been fun. I've learned about supposed sleep-inducing snacks, mental exercises, and even toe wiggling techniques!
Are you sleeping well? Please share your comments and caregiving stories with me.
Now that's enough...get to bed!
j.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Medical Advice
We were out doing a TV shoot for a show on Health Care Careers that will air in September, and during some down time, Physician Assistant (and Associate Professor at Seton Hill University) Richard Hutchinson and I got to talk about my Take Care! book and concept.
Through his job, he sees the medical fallout of caregiving.
He told me that if he could offer caregivers a ten minute tip, it would be to use that time to get on the phone and schedule an important appointment for themselves.
Sounds like good advice to me...think about making that call.
j.
Friday, August 15, 2008
A Caregiving Family
What is now a global organization was actually started right here in Pittsburgh. On Christmas Eve in 1928, someone found a baby girl left on a seat in the Sheridan Theater in East Liberty. The baby's mother wrote a note that said her husband was out of work and they had eight other children to take care of. The mother said she heard of the kindness of theater people and hoped that someone there would be able to care for her little girl.
The theater manager and other businessmen from Variety Club agreed to support the baby, and the community quickly pitched in...so much so that the caregivers were able to donate toys, clothes, and food to other children and families in need. Soon the mission spread to others in the entertainment industry around the country and the world.Variety International now has 52 chapters in 14 countries and has raised more than $1.5 billion dollars!
The two-week Camp Variety for Kids is one of the Pittsburgh chapters big projects. The day camp serves nearly one-thousand physically challenged and disadvantaged children and their brothers and sisters every year.
The camp is fantastic for the children, but is also greatly appreciated by parents and caregivers, who see it as an incredible opportunity for much needed respite care; which is too often out of reach for families who are emotionally and financially drained from the constant caregiving they provide.
The little girl in the picture above is Amari. She just had her sweet sixteen birthday party. (Here she was getting into the spirit of the camp's Christmas in August celebration!) Amari's a camp veteran---she's been coming for eight years. Amari has cerebral palsy. Her sweet parents shared some of their feelings about caregiving with me:
Christine and I got to talk about the Ten Minute Tip concept behind Take Care! She has such a good perspective and inside knowledge on caregivers, and caregiving issues. I was eager to hear what she thinks about the book. Here's what she had to say:
That's what I like to hear! Thank you Christine---and everyone at the Variety Camp! The experience will stay with me for a long time.
j.
A Beautiful Caregiving Beginning
The positive effects of taking ten minutes to relax, prepare a healthy snack, or get your muscles moving fan out to the whole family.