Elder Care Information |
|
Just Give Them a Lot of Love and You'll be Fine
It was right about this time, 19 years ago. My wife and I were sitting in the very last Lamaze birthing class, soon to be brand new parents. I felt a wave of anxiety come over me. I had to ask the question. I raised my hand. The Nurse, her name was Dorinda, pointed at me and said, "Yes, you have a question." Did I have a question? I just knew EVERY Dad was wondering the same thing? "You have given us some great information, almost too much. I am afraid I am going to forget all this stuff?then what?" I could feel the other Dad's nodding. She smiled; she was very wise and patient. She had taught thousands of new Dads. "That's a great question," pausing for effect, she continued, "That little baby doesn't know you don't know. Just give him a lot of love, you will be fine." It turned out to be the best parenting advice I ever received. When I was a kid, maybe five years old, I have a distinct memory of my father holding my hand at Matthews Beach in Seattle. My head came up to his waist. He was a big man, 6'-4" and 240 pounds. In his day, he was an extraordinary athlete, All-State in three sports. He once scored 34 points in a Regional Final in Basketball. He started playing baseball at age 16, pitching, his Junior year in High School. He told me the following story one night in Seattle. We were sitting in the brand new Safeco Field watching the Seattle Mariners pound the Cleveland Indians. By the time he was a senior in high school; pro scouts were at every game. This was 1947 in Ravenna, Ohio. The Indians had the best pitching staff in baseball. One particular scout was enamored of my Dad. He signed a whopping $500 bonus to play for the Dayton Mud Hens, AA team. His second summer, my Dad got the call. He showed up with the scout to find the General Manager of the team, the owner, a catcher, and an empty Cleveland Stadium. He said to me with a serious tone, "Mark, I threw the best baseball of my young life. I was 19 years old and I was fast. I would guess it came in around 85 miles per hour. I was feeling good about myself. I was on. I gave it everything I had. I just knew they were impressed." After 20 minutes, the owner stood up and yelled out to me, "Okay, Bob, we are done warming up. Go ahead and show us what you got!" Up to this point while he was telling me this story, he looked straight ahead. To end the story, he turned his head, looked straight at me and said, "I knew right then I would never play in the Big Show." I was 42 years old when he told me that story. I heard a lot of stories growing up, but that was not one of them. This one was special. He was confiding in me. He trusted me. It was time to bare a little of his soul. My father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's recently. Everything is changing now. The more I learn about this insidious and horrible disease, the sadder I become. A part of this big man dies a little every day. The burden is carried by my mom. She is hauling a massive load. (for a special story on Alzheimer's, go to www.mattesonavenue.com and click on "What's New!!!" tab to read the story "When the Box is Empty") I cherish the moments I have with my dad now. I know for him, it's the 9th inning and the manager may be making that call to the bullpen any time now. Grief is a form of energy and must be dissipated somehow in healthy ways or it turns inward in the form of depression or self-destruction. Writing is how I process that grief. I have captured many memories of my father in my journal the past year. I cry tears of regret, pain, anguish, heartache, sadness, anger and sorrow. Occasionally, when I think of my dad in that empty stadium giving it all he had, I cry a tear of joy. I love my dad. Now my son Colin is grown. He will go off to college in the fall. 19 years later, that little baby got all the love I had. He is 6'-8", 210 pounds. He is on his way to The University of Alaska at Fairbanks in August to play basketball on a scholarship, a great athlete, a lot like his Grandpa. It's bittersweet. My father and son are leaving about the same time for different reasons. I think I am just going to give them each a lot love before they go. I will be just fine. Pinnacle Service Group For your FREE e-zine, go to http://www.mattesonavenue.com
MORE RESOURCES: 'Failure of government': Nunavut elder care needs to be brought home, federal minister says - CBC.ca Long-Term Care, Retirement Home and Elder Care Lodge Resources | HKPR District Health Unit Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit What North Creek's nursing home needs to stay open, and what a closure would mean North Country Public Radio MLAs still fighting for Elder care closer to home Nunavut News Conference on elder care set for May 8 Long Island Business News Palliative and elder care specialist Debbie Suess joins Essentia Health-St. Joseph's Medical Center Essentia Health Whatever Happened to All Those Care Robots? The Atlantic MLA presses government on status of elder-care home work Nunatsiaq News With dementia rates projected to rise, northerners call for better elder care in Nunavut Nunatsiaq News Elder care lodge gets $2.9M from feds The Brandon Sun Could a robot keep grandma company? UBC IDEA lab experiments with AI for elder care - Ubyssey Online NDP data details 'disturbing' living conditions for Alberta seniors CityNews Calgary A fire, two deaths and the business of elder care in India Al Jazeera English Family of woman who died near Sandy memory care facility sues state, facility for $10 million Oregon Public Broadcasting Perley Health Foundation reaches $10M goal to transform elder care – Ottawa Business Journal Ottawa Business Journal Ontario Breaks Ground on Long-Term Care Home in First Nation Community Government of Ontario News Creating 'centres of excellence' will help improve senior care in hospitals, says health minister CBC.ca Senior care run by robots? Not exactly — yet McKnight's Long-Term Care News Personal support worker facing charges after alleged elder abuse at care home in Vaughan: police CP24 FPT Health Ministers’ Meeting Ends In Disappointment With No Immediate Action For Struggling Workers SEIU Healthcare CTV National News: Raising the alarm on elder care CTV News Barrie Elderly Care Market To Reach USD 1,902.7 Billion By 2032 GlobeNewswire Facing Financial Ruin as Costs Soar for Elder Care The New York Times Green Houses: A communal approach to elder care Association of Health Care Journalists Connecting Ontarians to The Tools They Need to Stay Healthy This Respiratory Illness Season | Ontario Newsroom Government of Ontario News The Elderhood Care Team: Bringing medical house-calls to elders - The Seeker Newsmagazine Cornwall The Seeker The future of elderly care packages Express Healthcare Seniors spend thousands on dental work, suffer in pain or wind up in ERs. Will Canada's plan help? CBC.ca United Helpers CEO says organizations must adapt to state's failure to invest in senior care North Country Now Retirement and loneliness: 3 tips for seniors to combat sadness during their golden years - Fox News Mohawk elder-care home project breaks ground The Intelligencer Rock and Roll and Elder Care in “Goldie” The New Yorker How for-profit nursing home regulators can use the powers they already have to fix growing problems with poor-quality ... The Conversation 'Failure of government': Nunavut elder care needs to be brought home, federal minister says Yahoo New Zealand News A novel elderly care robot could soon provide personal assistance, enhancing seniors' quality of life Tech Xplore Ontario's response to COVID's long-term-care crisis lacks an 'easy fix,' says elder law lawyer Law Times BC's long-term care homes are failing our seniors The Georgia Straight VIDEO: Biden Wants to Guarentee Affordable Care for Children, Seniors, and the Disabled Cardinal & Pine The only long-term care home in Fort St. John, B.C., is failing seniors, family members say - CBC.ca Facing financial ruin as costs soar for elder care The Seattle Times 'Are nursing homes our only option?' These centers offer older adults an alternative The Daily News Online Heritage experts help navigate move to senior living Reading Eagle Construction underway on upgraded Village Green in Napanee, Elder care home on TMT The Napanee Beaver Mental health of older adults World Health Organization (WHO) Elder care home under construction on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory Ontario Construction News South Dakota offering millions in tech grants to nursing homes Mitchell Republic Paying for Long-Term Care | National Institute on Aging National Institute on Aging CT hospital, nursing home complaint backlog stretches back years The Connecticut Mirror The Social Worker: A Compass in the Labyrinth of Senior Care Bonjour Résidences B.C. Seniors Advocate in Courtenay for presentation on elder care Comox Valley Record |
RELATED ARTICLES
What Colour was Your Great-grandmothers Hair? I've just made another Photoshop video. This one is about colour tinting (or "colorizing") an old photo. Advocate For Senior Citizens - Protecting Against Abuse and Fraud Ruth is 87 years old this year and has been living alone since 1997. She is in good health, however the daily chores around the home became increasingly difficult. Angels Are Reaching Out to the Elderly I am reminded time after time of the profound effect Angels have on people. Recently, I have been receiving manyemails containing examples of how the Angels are reaching through the veils to assist the elderly. Senior Living: 5 Ways to Help Reduce the Risk of Falling Every year we hear stories of seniors falling, ending up in hospitals and never fully recovering. Unfortunately, these falls often result in death. Using The Proper Wheelchair Will Make Your Everyday Life Easier If you have an injury or a health problem that restricts your mobility, you can achieve the independence you desire with a wheelchair that's just right for you. Wheelchairs are constructed for people of every size, shape, and age, and have features designed to meet the many diverse interests of users and appropriate for the various levels of assistance required. Prepare to Make Long-term Care Choices Several months ago, I was coming out of a gas station when a woman stopped me and asked me what I did for a living. On the back of our van is our web address. Retiring Abroad and Leaving the Grey Skies of the UK Retiring abroad needs careful planning. Not all countries have the same entitlement to benefits as the UK and your tax liability may be affected. Alzheimers Care Giving While Maintaining Your Own Health Just for a moment I want you to imagine that you are coming out of a very deep sleep. If you have ever had surgery try to remember the way you felt as you were trying to make sense of things as you awoke. Caring for Aging Relatives It happens somewhat slowly in the beginning, maybe with a small cough that gets worse as time goes on. It might simply begin with absent mindedness which is totally out of character, followed by total memory lapses. What About Tennesse Dept. of Human Services Abuse of the Elderly and Their Families? PART I: Physical Abuse of the Elderly vs. Tennessee DHS Abuse of FamiliesDuring the week of October 26, 2003, newspapers across the state of Tennessee published an Associated Press story that featured the glaring news headline, "Reports of neglect and abuse of senior citizens up 40% in six years. What You Need to Know About Helping Senior Citizens IntroductionThe baby boomers is the population which haven taken birth after second world war till 1965 when there was a tremendous increase in birth rate due to the social and economic development in the USA. Now this population is going into the old age and thus bringing a burden to the nation as the country has to take care of not only the food and shelter but also the medical care. Strategies on Paying for Nursing Home Care and Medicaid The decision to place your loved one into a nursing home is anextremely difficult decision, often causing much guilt for thecaregiver. It is a very emotional decision for most clients we see andmost are under a certain amount of stress, often great, when facing whatthey consider to be a drastic course of action. Helping Caregivers Get Comfortable Asking For Help Becoming a care giver might not have been a conscious decision on your part. It may have arrived quietly and unnoticed because you are the adult child of your elderly parents who now require care or you may have a special needs child that exacts your constant attention or a friend or spouse has become very ill and needs your support. Review of the Changing Protein Requirements for Seniors Youth, it is said, is wasted on the young. Too busy figuring life they hardly take the time to enjoy it. Prevent or Delay Alzheimers Disease Argh! Where are my glasses? I put them down . . Whos Gonna Take Care of You When Youre Old? I finally went to the doctor this morning for my bad cold. My appointment was for 9:30 am and yet I didn't get home until after 1:00 pm. Local Businesses Serving Seniors Prove Commitment to Quality Care Good news! You no longer have to risk chance when it comes to selecting a reputable elder care service for yourself or for a loved one. Senior Approved Services has certified a select number of businesses in our area serving the elderly and disabled populations. Skilled Nursing Homes - What Are They? A skilled nursing home is a medical facility providing services similar to a hospital. The homes are staffed with licensed nurses, shared rooms, hospital beds, regular scheduled doctor rounds, meals and housekeeping. Stairlifts - Take the Struggle Out of Climbing the Stairs Buying a stairlift can have huge benefits for your quality of life, giving you back some freedom and independence. Stairlifts can be adapted to your individual needs, so no matter what your requirements are, there'll be one to suit you. Second Hand Stair Lifts Buying second hand stair lifts is a viable and cost effective alternative to purchasing a brand new stair lift. Most stair lifts can be purchased new or second hand. |
home | site map |
© 2009 Asteroidsearch .com |