ElderCare Beacon Newsletter |
| ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ElderCare Beaconä ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ September 1, 1999 Vol. 2, No. 9 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ElderCare Online – The Internet Community of Elder CareGiversä http://www.ec-online.net "Tell me why – Show me how – Hold my hand" (sm) The summer is winding down and the kids are going back to school. I hope that this frees you up a little and you can take more time for yourself. Facing the challenge of caring for an elder is even harder when you have to juggle the additional responsibilities of childcare. Do your best to reduce burn out and stress by taking quality time for yourself and your interests – that might mean getting a book from the library or taking a long walk each day. You will come back to your elder refreshed, with better perspective and better able to manage their care. Kind Regards, INSIDE THIS ISSUE ElderCare Online in the News – TIME magazine +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ELDERCARE ONLINE IN THE NEWS: TIME MAGAZINE Take a look at the August 30 issue of TIME magazine (or view it online at http://www.time.com). This nationally known and respected current events publication has featured a cover story on "Taking Care of Our Parents." It includes a first-hand story of one woman’s struggles as a caregiver for her ailing father. It also has a great article on new residential housing options, such as assisted living. You’ll also note that TIME hails ElderCare Online as a resource for "comprehensive information about Alzheimer’s Disease." CHAT SCHEDULE Thank you for supporting our chats as we get the new chatroom up and running. We will be shifting the regular nights to Wednesdays and Thursdays to better coordinate with the CANDID chatroom http://dementia.ion.ucl.ac.uk/candid/chat.htm for dementia caregivers (Mondays) and Bubblehead’s chatrrom at http://members.xoom.com/Bubblehead/AlzheimersCG.htm (Tuesdays). We are very pleased to continue our series of supportive and informative real-time chats. If you drop in once, you’ll be hooked. Our chatrooms are a great way to connect with other caregivers, vent your frustration or ask questions of experts. You will meet people who have been caregivers for years, or just days; people from around the world, or your own county; professionals and experts, or lay people in search of answers. We are extremely proud to feature a special chat on Thursday, Sep 9th 8-10PM EST -- Beth Witrogen McLeod on "The Spiritual Journey of Caregiving" DESCRIPTION OF CHAT: We will discuss the emotional and spiritual journey of caregiving.
We will explore the various emotions that caregivers experience - such as guilt, loss of
faith, isolation, helplessness, anger and resentment -- and how to cope with them and even
transform them into lasting life lessons and rewards. We will have our regular chats on the following (new) days: Wednesday, Sep 15th 8-10PM EST -- Rich O’Boyle on "Dementia Support Group" – Join other people caring for loved ones with AD and other dementias to share tips and learn more about available resources. Thursday, Sep 23rd 8-10PM EST – Rich O’Boyle on "Choosing In-Home Care Assistance" – How to find the right person(s) to care for your elder. Wednesday, Sep 29th 8-10PM EST -- Rich O’Boyle on "Internet Answers" – A new regular feature for people who need a little technical help or a quick link to a web resource. Would you like to host a chat or use our chatroom? Free usage for non-profits, organizations and support groups. Contact us with your suggestions for topics at roboyoboy@worldnet.att.net MEDICAL RESEARCH ASSISTANT ElderCare Online has developed an interactive research tool to help you find informative and authoritative medical information on the Internet. We have brought together some of the best medical information on Alzheimer’s Disease, geriatrics, medical research, clinical trials, pharmaceuticals and health & wellness into an easy-to-navigate assistant. Whenever you encounter medical lingo that you don’t understand or want to find out about the latest prescription drugs, ElderCare Online’s Medical Research Assistant can help you find the answers. NEWSLETTER SPONSOR: CareCheck.com LIFE CHANGES FOR A WIDOWED PARENT When a parent dies, we are confronted with our own grief and loss. But as caregivers to our surviving parent, we face numerous other issues. It is a challenge to shoulder our own grief and help our surviving parent weather the emotional storm as well. Martha B.’s recent post into the ElderCare Forum is a heart-wrenching discussion of her attempts to help her widowed mother cope with her life changes – and alcoholism – following the death of her abusive husband. Our Forum has served as a warm and embracing venue to help her find the strength and resources to help her mother find help and a new beginning. Thank you Martha for sharing you pain and caregiving accomplishment. Join in our conversations in the ElderCare Forum at http://www.ec-online.net/Community/communit.htm.
Alzheimer’s Disease is not the only form of dementia that may afflict your loved one. Other forms, such as Frontal Lobe Dementia, Lewy Body Dementia, prescription drug interactions and Pick’s Disease are other forms of dementia. We have added Doug Keck’s HomePage to our list of Member’s HomePages in the Community Center. Doug has pulled together one of the best sites that lead people to resources for Pick’s Disease, which afflicts his wife. You will find medical information, an online support group and other caregiver resources. Pay him a visit at http://www.angelfire.com/ia/dougkeck/. PROFLOWERS PROMOTION Grandparents Day: In honor of Grandparents Day on September 12, Proflowers and the Arthritis Foundation www.arthritis.org are pleased to present the "Lifetime of Thanks Bouquet." Available August 1 through October 31, 5% of the proceeds generated from this arrangement will be donated to the Arthritis Foundation to help champion the fight against this debilitating disease. This striking gift also includes some educational and helpful literature on how to live successfully with arthritis. Please use this link to access the Proflowers website. ElderCare Online is a free service to you – if you purchase a bouquet through us, we get a small commission to help keep this site free: Lifetime of Thanks Bouquet http://www.proflowers.com/cfm/productDetail.cfm?pID=146&lng=&REF=0000366790NEW ARTICLES Choosing In-Home Care Assistance – find it in the Home Care & Independent Living Channel Finding Local Transportation Resources --find it in the Home Care & Independent Living Channel Hearing and Older Persons --find it in the Longevity & Wellness Channel Aging and Your Eyes -- find it in the Longevity & Wellness Channel NEW NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORK RESOURCES If you are looking for local resources such as low-cost legal aid, assistance with insurance claims, senior centers or state government services, then you will love our "Neighborhood Networks." These link pages are a boon to long-distance caregivers! Links fall into the categories of Government Resources, Alzheimer’s Support Groups, Country Agencies, Local Resources and Associations. Please let us know if you find the links useful and if you know of any other helpful links that should be shared with other caregivers. This month, we added comprehensive links for 8 more states – Alaska, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wisconsin. Ó 1999 Prism Innovations, Inc. All Rights Reserved +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ |