ElderAuthority.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE!

BOTH FAMILY AND FRIENDS
I wish you all the very best of holidays.   I was a slacker this weekend and didn’t get a post published.  It felt great!  To make up for it, here is my perspective on Christmas: The Bad,  The Good, and the Sublime.
FAREWELL TO GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST (Part 1/3)
CONTENTMENT IN CHRISTMAS PRESENT (Part 2/3)
EMBRACE CHRISTMAS YET TO COME (Part 3/3)
I wish good health and great friendships for us all.
Love,
Kathy
Copyright TheNewElder 2012… More

The New Elder is Moving, + “Group Homes & Holiday Presents”

Within the next month I will be merging TheNewElder.com with our sister site, ElderAuthority.com.  You will be able to access all the old content of TheNewElder plus the new content of ElderAuthority.
I am posting an article each and everyday on ElderAuthority.com.  In time there will be a mass of valid information that can be accessed from any place in the world–free.   I hope it will be the place people go for help when they are suddenly thrust into caregiving or face… More

UNDERSTANDING GUARDIANSHIP IN TEXAS–Part II

QUALIFIED GUARDIANS NEEDED!
Part II is purely my opinion.  I think we are in deep trouble and most of us don’t know it yet.  
Suzanne Cobb told me, “Becoming a legal guardian is like adopting a person.”   You are on-call 24/7 and must be available to help make decisions related to medical care, prescriptions, socialization, or anything else related to day-to-day living.
WHO IS THE RIGHT PERSON TO BE GUARDIAN?
Even if you are willing to take on the task,… More

UNDERSTANDING GUARDIANSHIP IN TEXAS–Part I

Listen up folks.  This is an important article about something we all need to understand, even if guardianship is not even on your radar.
I wrote an article about Guardianship Basics for my ElderAuthority blog about a month ago.  Not knowing much about guardianship, I did enough research to be confident about my content; however, I also realized how little I understood this complex topic and its related issues.

GUARDIANSHIP PROCESS
In my eternal search for answers about all… More

COUNTING MY BLESSINGS–BEFORE AND AFTER CAREGIVING

This Thanksgiving marks the third anniversary of extreme ups and downs.  I have so much to be thankful for.
TIMELINE
11/11/08: Return from a wonderful 9-day hiking and camping trip in Big Bend National Park.
11/18/08: Break my right ankle and 5th metatarsal by slipping on stairs.
11/18/08 – 2/14/09: Discover that my boyfriend will stand by me through thick and thin–without whining.
2/14/09: David proposes with traditional, gorgeous ring and bended knee. … More

METAPHOR FOR CAREGIVER’S JOURNEY

The attached video includes a wonderful metaphor for the “Caregiver’s Journey” and reflects my own experience as a caregiver.  We may not love it, but if we can learn to go with the flow, we will be fine.
The video is the opening to a six part lecture on Lewy Body Dementia.  The other five parts of the lecture can be found on YouTube. The lecturer is Tanis J. Ferman, Ph.D., at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.

Copyright TheNewElder 2012… More

AGING BOOMERS AND THOSE “OTHER” GENERATIONS

WE ARE NOT ALONE
I have encouraged my fellow baby boomers to actively plan for getting older but have done little to address the concerns of other generations that will be affected.  My excuse is that I do not feel qualified to write on the topic. I simply don’t know enough.  This week a couple of things came together to convince me that it is time I learned more.  As I learn I will share with you.
In this post I will attempt to differentiate between the generations and then begin… More

THE POWER OF TOUCH

THE FELINE ALARM CLOCK
Each morning, just as I am finally pulling myself out of bed, my aloof Maine Coon cat, Jack, jumps on the bed to snuggle.  Since I can’t resist, it is usually 15 or 20 minutes later when I finally get on my feet.  (I can never get him to jump on my lap when I call him.  It is always on his terms.) 
I always start the day happy when Jack is my alarm clock.  I can’t help laughing at his catness, which immediately releases any anxiety I am feeling about… More

“WHAT THE LIVING DO”

Last week I discovered a wonderful poet while listening to Terry Gross’ interview on NPR’s Fresh Air.   Her name is Marie Howe.  During the interview, she read a poem, “What the Living Do.”  It moves my heart.
Ms. Howe captures beautifully the grief and loss we feel after the death of a loved one.  More importantly, she reminds us that somehow we do find a way to stumble on with our lives.
This poem puts me in touch with my own grief while addressing… More

FAMILY CAREGIVER: DON’T BUFFER SIBLINGS

Family caregivers have a hard enough job without buffering the family members who are not caregivers.  You have your hands full taking care of a dependent relative.
NO BACK-SEAT DRIVERS
Last week, I was talking to a girlfriend who, over the past year, has evolved into the primary caregiver for her elderly mother.  She has two brothers who are both married.  One brother and his wife actually work in a medical-related field.  Both siblings live about a five-hour drive away.… More