I Have Never Seen the Righteous Forsaken
There have been times when someone in my circle of friends n' relations has quit a well paying job for reasons no one else fully understands. When this sort of a decision is made from a basis of...
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Forgiving
Yesterday afternoon I returned home from an errand and tossed my purse into a chair by the kitchen table. I had a writing project to complete, and a quick check of the clock told me I had about thirty...
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All Things...Even Alzheimer's
At the Authors' Roundup in Abilene, Kansas November 4. If my mom hadn't gotten Alzheimer's, I would never have written a book for caregivers. If I hadn't lost the reading program that meant so much to...
View ArticleThe Lord is My Caregiver
During the past twenty years or so, there has been increased awareness of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. A host of initiatives have come forth to improve public awareness and funding for...
View ArticleThe Children Are Tender
I have neglected this blog for the past month as I have been busy with final edits for my new book, which has the current working title The Children Are Tender. My first book was written as I cried out...
View ArticlePermission to Rejoice
Does the phrase “…and on top of everything else…” seem to become a sort of Murphy’s law motif for your life? It does mine. My mom got Alzheimer’s. I cut my teaching job to half time to care for her....
View ArticleBetter Than Prozac
This is an entry for caregivers who are striving to follow Christ in their every day lives. I always hope that if people need to get past my Christ-centeredness, they can, but I do have to say they...
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Kansas Light
Although the temperature outside today was a springlike 50 degrees, I was feeling sad and did not want to take a walk. I forced myself to go anyway and found my depression lifting. It was a...
View ArticleHow We've Managed Thus Far....
From time to time I'm asked to summarize the measures we've taken for my mother, who, though she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2004, continues to function well enough to do well in what is...
View ArticleCaveat...
Regarding the list of caregiving strategies in the "How We've Managed" post below...please check with your physician before combining an antihistamine (or any other non prescription drug or supplement)...
View ArticleDo Not Be Afraid of Alzheimer's
Most people feel an aversion to spending time with someone who has Alzheimer's disease, and I'm no exception. I struggle with a host of negative emotions over spending much one-on-one time with my...
View ArticleWhen the Caregiver Needs Care
The most difficult times I've had emotionally as a caregiver have come when I've been and unable to fulfill my usual role in our family. I've often been hurt by my family's response to me when I'm...
View ArticleDeath
Today I attended the funeral of a friend. She was just 52 years old, a bright, always smiling, sweet-spirited person. Since my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's I've really had to struggle against...
View ArticleServing God Not Man
I've always rather piously thought I am pretty good at serving the Lord rather than human beings, as the Bible says we ought to do (Ephesians 6:6-8).Turns out--not so much. I've realized lately how...
View ArticleResponding to a Wrong
Taking care of a dementia patient offers regular opportunities to respond in a Godly way to being offended.It also offers numerous opportunities to respond in a negative way.If someone kept a record...
View ArticleGrowing Into the Role of Caregiver
Taking care of someone who used to take care of you is beyond difficult. Resentment and grief of loss swirl together to form a cocktail of anger that, if drunk to the dregs, can cause broken...
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Comic Relief
As caregivers, we need comic relief from time to time.A few years ago a well meaning friend gifted me a beautiful book about a woman who had cared for her loved one who had Alzheimer's. "I thought you...
View ArticleEverything We Need
There is a scene in one of the Lord of the Rings movies in which the angelic and powerful Galadriel struggles with temptation to take and use the ring of power for her own. There is a frightening...
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The Importance of That Daily Walk
On this day our son took my place for the daily walk, and I became the somewhat shaky photographer. Each afternoon just before Mom's supper time, we take her for a walk. With my husband, John, on one...
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Prayer for a Cure for Alzheimer's
Each of these lapel pins represents a memory I pray I can keep. My mom has Alzheimer's. Near the end of his life my dad exhibited signs of dementia. His sister died of Alzheimer's. Both my...
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