Thank goodness for technology! Yesterday I was able to chat from my front porch in Cat Island, Bahamas, with a new friend who lives in rural Wales. Francesca Cassini is the founder of the Silver Tent, ‘An Online Community for Wise, Wild Women Over 50’. We talked about what we
Continue readingTag: meaning and purpose
THE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: The Hardest Part of Caregiving: Fostering Meaning and Purpose
“I feel useless. Good for nothing…” my Mom says. I recount back to her the ways she gives to our family and for a moment, she feels like a contributor. Before I leave, Mom pushes a ten dollar bill into my hand. “Here, give this to Nick. He can buy
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: The Hardest Part of Caregiving: Fostering Meaning and Purpose
“I feel useless. Good for nothing…” my Mom says. I recount back to her the ways she gives to our family and for a moment, she feels like a contributor. Before I leave, Mom pushes a ten dollar bill into my hand. “Here, give this to Nick. He can buy
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Caregiving Has Its Own Time Zone
My Mom’s apartment has its own unique time zone. At her place, minutes tick by but after four or five hours, I realise that we haven’t accomplished very much at all. We’ve talked about going out, but we haven’t (Mom doesn’t have ‘the poop’ to get dressed). Instead, we’ve skyped
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Six Ways Communities Can Help Caregivers
Local communities are great places to look for help and support for your caregiving family. It’s worth doing a search of your neighborhood – you’re likely to find community assets that may be life savers for you and your loved one. Start by identifying the schools, churches, community centres, shopping
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Enabling Meaning and Purpose in the Lives of Our Loved Ones
How can we help our loved ones experience meaning and purpose in their lives? Does having a disability, getting older, or losing cognitive skills automatically exclude the possibility of purpose in life? In my family, meaningful contribution is central to happiness. I believe it is for most people. Our son
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