I’m posting this guest post from http://evidencenetwork.ca because my Mom has had so much difficult regaining her strength after 3 hospitalisations in the past 4 months. Next time my Mom is in a hospital bed, I’m going to ask for in-bed cycling! It’s time to change the way we view
Continue readingAuthor: Donna Thomson
THE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: How Caregiving Changes Us – What Dies, What Grows
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how we change over time as caregivers – the parts of ourselves that die and the new parts that grow. What has died in me: An assumption that I will have spontaneity in my life The idea that life would carry on according
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: How Caregiving Changes Us – What Dies, What Grows
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how we change over time as caregivers – the parts of ourselves that die and the new parts that grow. What has died in me: An assumption that I will have spontaneity in my life The idea that life would carry on according
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: CAREGIVER’S FRIEND: Menu and Recipes
I love food and I love to cook. When caregiving at home gets crazy busy though, my favorite recipes are just too time consuming to prepare. That’s when I go to my ‘under 5 minutes preparation time but delicious’ collection. Here’s a sample menu that’s very quick to make and
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: CAREGIVER’S FRIEND: Menu and Recipes
I love food and I love to cook. When caregiving at home gets crazy busy though, my favorite recipes are just too time consuming to prepare. That’s when I go to my ‘under 5 minutes preparation time but delicious’ collection. Here’s a sample menu that’s very quick to make and
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: ADVOCATE WITH EMPATHY: A Chat About How It Works
Yesterday, my caregiving colleagues Al Etmanski and Vickie Cammack hosted me in a fascinating chat about advocating with empathy. Have a listen to our discussion and let me know what you think. Have you been successful in advocating with empathy? What kinds of advocacy have worked for you as a
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: ADVOCATE WITH EMPATHY: A Chat About How It Works
Yesterday, my caregiving colleagues Al Etmanski and Vickie Cammack hosted me in a fascinating chat about advocating with empathy. Have a listen to our discussion and let me know what you think. Have you been successful in advocating with empathy? What kinds of advocacy have worked for you as a
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: HOW VIRTUAL REALITY IS REVOLUTIONISING DEMENTIA CARE
As my regular readers know, I’m a huge fan of technology. It is my pleasure to host an exciting guest post about virtual reality possibilities for dementia care. This is really exciting stuff! Today’s guest blogger is Gillian Douglass, medical writer for Oxley Homecare in NSW, Australia. We’ve all heard
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: HOW VIRTUAL REALITY IS REVOLUTIONISING DEMENTIA CARE
As my regular readers know, I’m a huge fan of technology. It is my pleasure to host an exciting guest post about virtual reality possibilities for dementia care. This is really exciting stuff! Today’s guest blogger is Gillian Douglass, medical writer for Oxley Homecare in NSW, Australia. We’ve all heard
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: How to Recognize and Manage Substance Abuse in Seniors
It is my pleasure today to host a guest post by Trevor McDonald, a blogger who is expert in the area of addictions, substance abuse and families. I read the studies cited below and they are surprising and worrying! Did you know that alcoholism is higher among widowers over
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: How to Recognize and Manage Substance Abuse in Seniors
It is my pleasure today to host a guest post by Trevor McDonald, a blogger who is expert in the area of addictions, substance abuse and families. I read the studies cited below and they are surprising and worrying! Did you know that alcoholism is higher among widowers over
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: What Some Doctors Don’t Understand About Us
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we communicate with health care professionals. When our loved ones are very sick, they are usually in the hospital and as we gather information to make important choices, we are forced to navigate the uncharted waters of conversations that are so complicated,
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: What Some Doctors Don’t Understand About Us
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we communicate with health care professionals. When our loved ones are very sick, they are usually in the hospital and as we gather information to make important choices, we are forced to navigate the uncharted waters of conversations that are so complicated,
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: The Truth About Toxic Friends vs Good Friends
Telling the difference between good friends and toxic friends is especially important for caregivers. Caregivers simply don’t have the dual luxuries of boundless time and energy to invest in friendships that are not reciprocal. So, here’s a quick guide to recognising good friends and toxic friends.TOXIC FRIENDSFor caregivers, there are
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: The Truth About Toxic Friends vs Good Friends
Telling the difference between good friends and toxic friends is especially important for caregivers. Caregivers simply don’t have the dual luxuries of boundless time and energy to invest in friendships that are not reciprocal. So, here’s a quick guide to recognising good friends and toxic friends.TOXIC FRIENDSFor caregivers, there are
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Why Using Hospice Doesn’t Mean You’re “Giving Up”
None of my own family members have ever been in hospice care, but our son Nick has been on palliative care for some time now. We support Nick’s decision not to have any more surgery or invasive procedures to correct the effects of his disabilities. Between 2006 and 2011, we
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Why Using Hospice Doesn’t Mean You’re “Giving Up”
None of my own family members have ever been in hospice care, but our son Nick has been on palliative care for some time now. We support Nick’s decision not to have any more surgery or invasive procedures to correct the effects of his disabilities. Between 2006 and 2011, we
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: A New Year Reflection for My Fellow Caregivers
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! This is a beautiful reflection by my friend and fellow caregiving author, the wonderful Julie Keon. I had the privilege of writing the foreword to Julie’s bestselling book for disability parents, “What I Would Tell You.” I love a new year. Always feels like a clean
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: A New Year Reflection for My Fellow Caregivers
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! This is a beautiful reflection by my friend and fellow caregiving author, the wonderful Julie Keon. I had the privilege of writing the foreword to Julie’s bestselling book for disability parents, “What I Would Tell You.” I love a new year. Always feels like a clean
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Caregiving for Cancer in Seniors: Mesothelioma
Recently I’ve been thinking that I’d like to begin a mini-series of posts about caregiving for loved ones who have a rare disease. If YOU are a caregiver of someone with a rare disease and would like to be interviewed about your experience, please contact me at donna4walls@gmail.com. Today I
Continue reading