Bridging Memories - Mother, Do You Remember Me? I'm Your Daughter.

Do You Know Me?

2010-12-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

My thoughts are splintered as I think about friends and life experiences. My husband took himself off the road for medical reasons a year and a half ago. Unfortunately that cut our income in half. I feel isolated as I try to figure out the money issues. I know he is suffering and until a few months ago did not even have a diagnosis. – We found out that he has herniated disks in his lower

What Are You Waiting For?

2010-11-23T11:06:00.000-07:00

By LibraryDragon View this Toon at ToonDoo Create your own ToonI was reading a writing prompt on http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978604784 by Greg Schiller about family stories. The writing prompt itself seems important to me. "Write anything you want, humorous or not, fanciful or factual on the theme of family stories."Tell the stories that your family retells

Breaking Light

2010-11-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday slips into memory as I ponder life, wondering about the future. A colleague just lost her husband of 38 years. I can only imagine the pain. I think of her as she deals with the grief and all the demands made on survivors when one life ceases.She is in a new school teaching a new grade. Lots of new people that are still working separately, who have not integrated as a team. The

Comforting Hands

2010-10-02T08:46:00.001-06:00

I remember sitting beside my Mom, snuggling up close to her on the couch holding her hands. She would look at me and smile. How I miss those smiles and the time I had with her. When had she gone from strong to frail? She showed her love through her hands - cooking, touching, comforting - her hands were always busy. I miss her and her loving hands. I have memories of my mother's touch as a

Opening Doors

2010-07-21T15:09:00.000-06:00

He sends his angels. Confusion and fear can strike at any time. I remember going shopping one day. Mom got very antsy while we were in Michaels, craft store. I got her to the car and she refused to get in. I tried coaxing, I tried bribing her, begging. This happened before I had a cell phone, so I could not call for assistance, nor could I leave her by herself to go get help. Our standoff

Critical Choices

2010-07-19T11:30:00.001-06:00

I was browsing the current copy of Montana Magazine (July/Aug 2010) in the store. There was a wonderful article about a casket maker out of Kalispell, MT. His business is called Sweet Earth Casket and Cradle Shop. He does custom orders. What intrigued me was his commitment to his customers. Several of his caskets do double duty they can be other things until they are needed as caskets. I

Locating People Who Wander

2010-07-10T13:51:00.001-06:00

What Is Project Lifesaver International? I first read about this project in the Summer 2010 publication of Care Advantage. This is a program for individuals that wander. Each individual wears a tracking device that allows first responders and volunteers to quickly find them. In 1999 32,000 people with Alzheimer's wandered away. Every year there are numerous cases of people with Alzheimer’s,

Resources for living Gluten Free

2010-07-02T13:17:00.001-06:00

If you have Celiac disease life is quite a challenge. My friend Carol has shared her worries and concerns about another friend who is gluten intolerant. I had never thought much about it until she shared her concerns. Since then I have discovered make-up, dog food, lotions, and even some medications may all have gluten in them to ambush the unwary. Celiac disease (gluten intolerant) is an

Digital Storytelling and Our Family History

2010-06-30T12:07:00.000-06:00

Story mapping is adding our own photos and stories to digital maps so other people can read them. One of the benefits that I can see is the connection between generations as we go through the photos and hear the stories. Then transcribe them into a digital format. Research shows that photo albums often unlock memories of people who struggle with talking in the here and now. What a great way

Reading NPR's Update on Tom DeBaggio

2010-06-18T12:48:00.000-06:00

I was blown away by the series Melissa Block wrote about Tom DeBaggio and his experience with Alzheimer's disease. The early interviews were started in 1999, after Tom was diagnosed with Early Onset at the age of 57, by NPR's Noah Adams. All of the interviews were very poignant.I made some very personal connections as I remembered watching my mother succumb to Alzheimer's. Tom wrote two

Do You Know About 2-1-1?

2010-06-16T22:37:00.000-06:00

Before today I had never heard of 2-1-1. The United Way has a website that gives the history and talks about the importance of 2-1-1. This number serves as a way to coordinate community services. If you call the number the person who takes your call will help you work through the maze of services that are available in your community. In an emergency it helps people determine what services

June 15 - World Elder Abuse Day

2010-06-15T16:57:00.000-06:00

Personally I think the Tag should read "Prevent Elder Abuse Day". According to the US Agency on the Administration of Aging 5 million seniors will be abused in the United States this year. That is a frightening statistic. Elder abuse comes in many forms: financial, physical, emotional, sexual and by neglect. They also say only 1 out of every 5 instances of abuse is ever reported. There is a

How Did Father's Day Start

2010-06-15T09:55:00.000-06:00

Father's Day is celebrated today around the world, in at least 50 countries. It got it's start when Sonora Smart Dodd was listening to a sermon, in 1909, recognizing Mother's Day. She felt that fathers deserved equal recognition. Sonora was inspired to help create a day that recognized fathers. She and the Rev. Dr. Conrad Bluhm - minister at the Central United Methodist Church in Spokane, WA

My Mobile Witness

2010-06-12T07:51:00.000-06:00

I was going through some archived blogs on ilearntechnology and I found My Mobile Witness. It is a free service that you can sign up for. It is designed that if you are in a scary situation you can take a picture and send it to them. The picture can only be retrieved by law enforcement or a subpoena. They recommend taking pictures before a blind date, on unfamiliar trails take a picture of

Living With Regrets

2010-06-10T09:57:00.000-06:00

Today June 10, 2010 is the 3rd anniversary of my mother’s death. It is still so very difficult. In the beginning I had a very hard time moving past the pain and grief. I would go on - only to be ambushed by overwhelming waves of despair and loss. My tears turned to a deluge, flooding the present. I felt my life was frozen in time. I was buried in my loss and pain, holding myself prisoner

You Always Need a Place to Start

2010-05-30T22:34:00.006-06:00

My mother loved to cook. She could make a feast fit for a king out of nothing. Mom worked as a cook on a ranch for several summers from 1977 through the early 1980's. She cooked for John Medearis and his family (4 sons 16-25)and usually a hired hand or two. I had come for a visit during her second summer. We were just finishing lunch. Johnny was in his early twenties and was grumbling about

What I Learned Caring for My Mother

2010-05-23T09:39:00.008-06:00

Today would have been my Mother's birthday. I have been reflecting on her life and my family. As with many reflections I can see and understand things better in hindsight than I did in the moment. Perhaps it is because I gained more tools from the actual experience for dealing with daily life. Care-Giving has been a complex part of my life. It has been diverse and individual as there were

Legacy Project - Across Generations

2010-05-21T09:40:00.003-06:00

The Legacy Project has three banner programs: Across Generations, Life Dreams, and Our World. The Across Generations is a project that explores the connections with others. It encourages closer relationships between generations. They strive to examine ways to celebrate the special relationships that can be forged between young and old. The goal is to develop closer relationships between

Finding Unclaimed Money

2010-05-20T19:11:00.001-06:00

I have always enjoyed treasure hunts even when I don't find the treasure. This morning my husband and I were watching Good Morning America. One of the segments was on Unclaimed Money. These are the five sites they recommended checking. I didn't find any money but I knew several people who were listed. http://www.MissingMoney.com http://www.unclaimed.org http://pbgc.gov (pension) http:/

Favorite Kitchen Tools

2010-05-17T20:55:00.002-06:00

Cutting up food for another person can sometimes take longer than the other person wants. Getting the pieces small enough, similar size and doing it consistently. Then I discovered a tool that is in most kitchens. The pizza cutter. I used the pizza cutter to cut pancakes, waffles, some vegetables, hamburger patties and jello jigglers. I shared this tool with Mom's daily caregivers, they all

Loving What Is

2010-05-15T21:33:00.000-06:00

The title of Byron Katie’s book resonated with me on so many levels. When my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s I was devastated. All of a sudden I was responsible for taking care of the one person I had leaned on all my life. She had always been my greatest supporter. Now I was responsible for Mother’s well being. Providing for her and if possible finding a way that she could still

Memories

2010-05-07T10:50:00.000-06:00

Mother's Day is fast approaching. I think about my step children - this is a difficult day for them. They lost their Mom two months after I lost my Mom. I was so much luckier. I was in my fifties and my stepdaughter was 17. I don't think it matters how old you are the pain is still there and you feel cheated that the time has been all used up. I was very close to my mother and still miss

Young Caregivers: Important Pieces of Alzheimer's Care

2010-03-28T08:00:00.007-06:00

I was reading the Winter/Spring 2010 issue of care ADvantage. The magazine is a free publication from the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. I am always impressed with what I learn when I read one of the magazines. Carol Steinberg, Executive Vice President at Alzheimer's Foundation of America, wrote about Max Wallack - Pay It Forward: Teen Puts Pieces in Place for Puzzle Project. He is a 13

Simply Box - New Tool for Collecting Information

2010-03-22T05:18:00.001-06:00

I love my technology class. What great tools we are learning about. One is Simply Box. You can set up an account for free. Sadly you cannot set up an account on a Safari browser. For people who are visual this tool lets you take a picture of the logo or page and drag it into a box of like items. See an example on the student resource page that I made for my 6th graders. Check out the link

Keeping The Brain Active

2010-03-21T09:52:00.004-06:00

When I was taking care of my mother I often used kids material and games. I know there is a lot of controversy about using "kids" material with mature individuals. My decision to do it stemmed from several things: 1. My mother had been a elementary teacher and enjoyed children's art and learning 2. It was what I was familiar with 3. I did not find similar leveled things with content for