LISTEN: Our Family Experience With Disability Told to a Med Journal
This is a podcast and article I did for The Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). The piece is a shorter version of an address I gave at the American Academy…
Donna Thomson
The Ultimate Caregiver’s Playlist
Music is often the soundtrack of our lives. Particular songs evoke memories of personal pain, triumphs, love, commitment and maybe a broken heart. Other tunes just make us happy by…
An Adventure With My Mom and a Surprise Ending
Last week I decided to keep a promise I’d made to my Mom – I would take her out for dinner and spend a night away with her in a…
The ‘C’ in Canada Stands For Caring. Happy 150th Birthday, Canada!
by Vickie Cammack, my friend and co-writer who contributes often and especially recently because my son is in the hospital and I am with him. July 1st is Canada Day…
Ease the ER Experience: Awesome Tip From a Reader!
Facebook is a fantastic information sharing tool for natural caregivers. The Caregivers’ Living Room has a page Here and lately we’ve been chatting about giving doctors and nurses an accurate…
DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?
My friend and colleague Vickie Cammack and I co-write a weekly column for Troy Media called Caring Connections. Vickie cares for her Mom and here, she tells a story that…
Lessons I Learned About Happiness as a Disability Parent
My husband and I were alone with the doctor in the hospital playroom when she gave us the news about our six month-old baby son. “Never be normal” are the…
SHARING ELDERCARE WITH SIBLINGS
It is my pleasure to host this guest post by Hanna Landman. Sharing eldercare with siblings is a subject that’s especially close to my heart because I share care for…
WHEN FAMILIES VISIT PATIENTS IN HOSPITAL, WE WORK
I have the privilege of writing a weekly column called Caring Connections for Troy Media. My friend and colleague Vickie Cammack and I alternate weeks – have a read of…
Tongue-Tied in Caregiving: Why is Asking and Offering So Hard?
Most days I drive across a bridge linking my neighborhood with our son Nick’s suburb. Homeless folks hang out at the stop lights either side of the bridge. They bob…
Mom: You’ve Been Here All This Time
Very recently my sister shared with me a beautiful New York Times opinion piece titled ‘Our Mothers As We Never Saw Them’. The author became interested in contemplating the photos…
WHY WON’T ANYONE HELP?!
Yesterday, I read an excellent blog post titled “Asking for Help” on the Caregiver Space. The article is chock full of good ideas and practical advice. It was the comments…
Are There Limits To What We Will Do For Love in Caregiving?
A couple of days ago, I saw a play that made me ask the question, “Are there limits to what we will do for love in caregiving? If so, what…
Meltdowns in Kids with Disabilities: Coping Tips for Parents
By guest blogger Kristen Heller Whether you have a child who has Down’s syndrome, Asperger’s syndrome, or a child who is somewhere on the autism spectrum, there’s a good chance…
Give Up My Job to Give Care? OK, Pay Me.
Many years ago and before we had children, my husband and I took a week-long holiday at a Caribbean resort. We befriended a couple from Baltimore who had an interesting…
The Unfairness of Caregiving
I’ve been trying to remember the first time I felt the outrage of injustice. I recall that in about grade four, I was playing outside my school when the bell…
The Surprising Things I Learned About My Mom When She Moved
It seems like my Mom has been moving for months. It feels like over the past while, my sister and I have been operating in semi-crisis mode with our mother.…
THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS: COMMUNICATING IN CAREGIVING
Here’s a scenario that every caregiver will recognise: Your elderly parent has fallen and you’ve left work to be with her at the ER. Tests will be performed including x-rays…
SEEKING NEW WAYS TO VIEW RETIREMENT
I love this guest post by Leandro Mueller because it reminds me to think of my own retirement together with my Mom’s. We all need to re-conceptualize aging in order…
MESSAGE FOR NATIONAL CAREGIVER DAY: I SEE YOU, I SALUTE YOU
The first Tuesday in April is National Caregiver Day. It’s a day to stand up and pay special attention to YOU who care for someone you love. Or YOU whose…