In this recipe, the essence of the caregiver is kept aside, similar to the starter in sour dough bread. This ‘starter’ will be needed to make and re-make the caregiver into different shapes and sizes as needs for her or him arise. Recipe for Making A Caregiver Start with a
Continue readingAuthor: Donna Thomson
THE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Slivers of Time
I’ve been thinking lately that we caregivers experience our days in slivers of time. The byproduct of giving care is….interruptions. Maybe our motto should be, “Wait, what?” When my children were younger and I was in the thick of intensive caregiving, I remember thinking that my idea of real luxury
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Our Role in The Circle of Life: What’s Your Title?
Over the holidays this year, I’ve been thinking a lot about birth, mortality and all that’s in between. I guess you’d say, I’ve been pondering the circle of life and my role in it. A week before Christmas, the wife of a lifelong friend gave birth to a perfectly beautiful
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: A New Year’s Resolution That’s Actually Fun!
I am so pleased to host this guest post by writer, Karen Weeks. Karen perfectly captures why the arts are so important to us all – at any age! I’ve witnessed the healing power of music in my own life and in the lives of everyone I love. So why
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: THE 12 DAYS OF A CAREGIVER CHRISTMAS
My words to the carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” are fun, but they reveal a truth about caregiving, too. We all begin with a task or two. “Oh, it’s not much”, we think. “That’s no trouble at all.” And it isn’t. But then two tasks becomes four and four
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: The Yummy No-Cook Caregiver’s Christmas Dinner
I am a self-confessed foodie. At Christmas, it’s ridiculous – I start baking for the freezer in early November and I try hard not to eat everything before December 25th. Now, with my most intensive caregiving days and years behind me, I can indulge my passion for baking the perfect
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: TREVOR’S STORY: FROM ADDICTION TO CAREGIVER
If you told me a decade ago that I’d be responsible for someone else’s life, I’d probably have laughed. Back then, I was barely able to take care of myself. I was a drug addict. Today, I’ve been sober for nearly a decade, and I have a new lease on
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: WHAT I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS…PERMISSION
Recently, I came across a great quote prompting caregivers to consider taking a break: An Iphone doesn’t ask permission to be charged. This got me thinking about our personal values and how they sometimes make caring harder than it needs to be. Do we give ourselves and our loved ones
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Helping Your Loved One to Give During the Holidays
I posted this two years ago, but the message is still just as vital, I think. How can we help our loved ones to give during the Holidays? Giving is a powerful sign of personhood, of contribution and our loved ones want to give those they love, too! How can
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: SELF CARE? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING.
Last evening I presented a workshop on self-care for caregivers in my city of Ottawa, Canada. Going in, I knew that this group had huge challenges at home and that they were pretty cynical about the standard ‘just have a bubble bath’ approach to self-care. These were parents who need
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: DIANE’S STORY
I am so pleased to share a personal caregiver story from Diane today. Diane’s husband Bob had a devastating stroke and sadly passed away in 2015. Diane shares her wisdom with us today. I’m grateful for stories of stroke caregiving because my Dad had three strokes and after living for
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: I Never Identify a Problem Without Suggesting a Solution!
In my last post, I talked about how we can easily move from being caregiver to being perceived by medical professionals as ‘a family from hell’. This breakdown of relationships with doctors, nurses and therapists can happen especially when your loved one’s needs are very high, interventions have turned out
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: How We Go From Competent Caregiver to ‘Family From Hell’
Last week an article circulated among my caregiver friends called Ask the Expert: Managing the Relative From Hell. This shocking ‘advice’ column for care home professionals who struggle with worried visiting relatives includes snippets such as, “You’ve all had one! Turns up at antisocial hours, interferes in care, upsets the
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: HELP FOR ALZHEIMER’S CAREGIVERS
I am pleased to host this guest post by Lydia Chan, whose Mom suffers from Alzheimer’s. Lydia writes for Alzheimerscaregiver.net. The data is in, and there’s no doubt that Alzheimer’s caregivers are exhausted. The University of Michigan and AARP recently teamed up to survey the people who are providing full time care to
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: A CAREGIVER TWITTER CHALLENGE TO BREAK THE INTERNET
I’m not an original thinker. I know it. But hey, I know what I am good at: stealing other peoples’ great ideas and mixing them up differently for a caregiver community. Today, I’m stealing a really fabulous idea from a PhD student at the University of Missouri, Dalton Ludwick. Ludwick studies
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: THE FABULOUS NOBILITY OF AN ORDINARY LIFE
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” – Annie Dillard Last week, my friend and fellow caregiving activist Helen Ries and I met for coffee. We were on a mission that day to chat with two remarkable innovators from Australia, Eddie Bartnik and Anne
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: TV Stars are Caregivers Too – Meet Leeza Gibbons
November is National Caregivers Month and to kick off, I’ve interviewed TV personality and caregiver activist, Leeza Gibbons. Leeza Gibbons is an Emmy Award winner TV personality who has become an important voice for family caregivers. Recognized as a social entrepreneur, Leeza has become one of the leading voices for
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: A NEW SHORT FILM ABOUT DEMENTIA – SNEAK PEAK!
I always get excited when I hear about a new film about caregiving concerns. Today, I’d like to suggest that we all mark our calendars on November 6 with a reminder to watch the release of J. Costello, a touching eight-minute film about a charming man falling into the wilderness
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: A VERY HUMAN STORY OF COMPLICATED CARING
Yesterday I had the delicious pleasure of sitting in a small, country community centre hall with seven other writers. We were there for a workshop at the invitation of Brian Doyle, my neighbour who also happens to be a highly distinguished Canadian novelist. My favourite book of Brian Doyle’s is
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Advice You’ve Never Thought Of! Tips for Travelling with an Older Parent
My Mom grew up summering in Kennebunk Port in Maine – all her best memories are of playing in the sand and surf with her brothers and sister there. Now at 95, she has a powerful wish to return, but I am nervous about travelling with her. This guest post
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