 Artwork by Rita Loyd. Be inspired at http://www.nurturingart.com/ It is inspiring when others give you the courage to think about making an important step towards your wellness. Whether taking a small or large step, planning care for "you" is a positive route!
In the free publication care ADvantage by the Alzheimer's Foundation of America [here is the link where you can read wellness information: http://www.afacareadvantage.org/issues/ca_winter12.pdf ], you can be inspired and enjoy the wonderful story about the caregiver Rita Loyd whose stunning artwork helps her find an outlet of managing her caregiver stress.Another article "Go For It! Self-Care is Not Selfish" by Jane Meier Hamilton, MSN, RN talks about her care-giving journey where she discovers "practicing" is the art of taking care of herself. She shares many ideas and tips that help her. Her words may further inspire or validate your next steps forward in self-care. Eboni Green, Ph.D., RN has a thoughtful and practical "Take a Look at 'U'" model where you answer questions about your level of wellness. In her article "Caregiver Wellness: It's Up to 'U'" , Dr. Green defines the wellness levels. She expresses wellness as "a work in progress" and encourages readers to understand wellness as a changing process that needs re-evaluation. Balancing care-giving is challenging. Taking your wellness to the next level is even more challenging! If care-giving is overwhelming right now, start slowly taking one small step towards your self-care. Try one idea suggested in the above articles that interests you and stick with it. After trying it for a while, ask yourself if you like it and find it benefits your wellness. Caregivers are important. You are important! Every day when you do something good for yourself, you help maintain your ability to continue your care for others. Cheers to your wellness!
Further helpful online resources: http://www.alzfdn.org/ and http://www.inspire.com/groups/alzheimers-foundation-of-america/
copyright 2012 Kim Kozina Evanoski, MPA, LMSW - Care Manage For All
 Hooray for the first signs of spring!
Spring makes you excited to breathe fresh air, look at blooming flowers and try new ideas out again. It is kind of a renewing time. Just like the fresh start of a New Year when you think about a New Year's resolution.
Maybe you tried a New Year’s resolution and are still working on that idea. Maybe you are looking for a different idea that will renew your energy to appreciate the Spring!
I recently read a blog post that was helpful in thinking how we might renew our Spring wellness or feel re-ignited to stay with that New Year's Resolution! The blog post is written by Lisa Kendall, a licensed clinical social worker, titled:
New Year’s Resolutions: Move from a “to do” list to a “to be” list
She wrote about her fresh perspective after attended a motivating workshop that offered her new ideas about putting her wellness into action! With Ms. Kendall's permission, we provided the link so you can enjoy reading her insightful thoughts. Just click on the title to link to her blog entry.
copyright 2012 Kim Kozina Evanoski, MPA, LMSW - Care Manage For All
 Caregiving. What is it? Who does it?
Everyone at some point in their life will be cared for or be a caregiver. Caregiving is the commitment given in caring for another person. Sometimes the care is given at home, sometimes it is given far away; care can be next door or in a different living space that doesn't feel like home.
A caregiver may be someone who knows they are caregiving; many times it is someone who doesn't even realize they are providing care as a caregiver!
Caregiving feels like a mystery to us. Yet caregiving is as common as the air we breathe. Caregiving is physical tasks taking lots and lots of time. It exhausts us to no end and provides us with an endless amount of work to do.
Caregiving also touches our souls; it can take our emotions soaring both up and down. Caregiving is commitment, it is a cross to bear, it is a joy, it is a sorrow, it is change. Caregiving is young and aged and everywhere in-between.
Most times caregiving feels like rain. Caregiving not only feels like rain but changes like rain. Caregiving, at times, feels like changing rain that never seems to stop.
Isn’t it funny how we both love and despise the rain?
A light rain as a child was fun, refreshing to the soul, life-sustaining by the fact of its wetness. We danced in it for hours, soaking wet but knowing all is going to be okay. There was no thunder or lightening ; the sunshine not far behind!
Couldn’t our caregiving feel the same way?
There is the rain that is harsh, that hurts as it falls on our face and back. We are soaked, annoyed and it scares us.
Couldn’t our caregiving feel like this at times also?
Some rain and its storms never stop-- it just changes. It could pour down hard, lighten up some, then blacken the sky, pour down and trickle a few drops with sunshine…then cloud over again,and pour rain for days when finally a ray of sunshine trickles the last few drops.
Is that like caregiving…always changing, having many ups-and-downs, bringing us so low - - perhaps even to our knees, only to pick us up to be thankful for a new day?
One wonders.
So, what is your caregiving like? Is it like rain?-----------------------
We dedicate this article to the many long-term caregivers who provide daily care through the good days and through the rough days. Thank you for your hard work. copyright 2012 Kim Kozina Evanoski, MPA, LMSW - Care Manage For All An adaptation from earlier written article: http://www.gobroomecounty.com/files/senior/pdfs/CGC0802.pdf
 Attending and participating in a support group can offer many challenges as well as benefits. Our top tips can be used as a guide in helping you get the most out of attending one or many support groups.- Realize you may feel nervous the first few times you attend the support group. It is natural to feel that way. You are trying something new and meeting new people.
- If you can talk to the support group facilitator before going to the support group meeting -- by all means do it! Express any concerns and questions how the support group functions and how you feel about attending. Getting information will help to know in advance what to expect. The facilitator wants you to have a useful experience and can work towards making you more comfortable at the first meeting.
- If you can, go to the support group at least three time to get a clear, consistent picture of how it may or may not be a "fit" for you. Support group dynamics change slightly by group member participation and by the group's discussion that day.
- If you decide to be a participant in a support group, do try to attend on a regular basis. The benefit? Participants state feeling a marked improvement in their daily stress. Also, you may find commonality, support, new ideas to use, and friendship by getting to know other participants.
- Understand, even after attending the support group over some time, that you may have many mixed emotions when you attend. Sometimes a discussion starts making uncomfortable feelings pop up even when you feel attending the support group is helpful to you. This is normal and can mean you are emotionally working on some areas that are a concern for you. You should feel free to talk to the facilitator or group about this topic at any time.
- Know that a support group is a way to provide a little extra boost of caring and sharing! It is there to help reduce stress and offer support to people who feel they are in similar situations. It does not, though, replace the need for personal counseling or other means of self-care. Participants must be kind to themselves and fair to the support group by following through with their own individual self-care. You should feel free to talk to the facilitator about any concerns you may have on this topic.
- Lastly, not all support groups are for everyone. Try a couple of groups to find your "fit". Expect you may have to shop around. Some individuals find participating in two support groups gives variety and helps meet their personal specific needs better (ie., attending a general caregiver support group and a disease specific support group).
copyright 2012 Kim Kozina Evanoski, MPA, LMSW - Care Manage For All
 Hi! Want to go grab your coffee or tea? We don't mind waiting with our hot cups of tea and coffee....
Great, your back.
Let's sit for a few minutes and get to know each other.
One of the most important tasks as a Care Manager and as a Caregiver is taking time to sit and chat.
You are important to us.
How is your day going? What is going well?
What is a real big challenge to you?
How can we work together to make your caregiving experiences less stressful and more balanced in your life? We value sitting down with you and hearing what you have to say to us. So, yes, a coffee mug and sitting with us for a few minutes is important. It supports your wellness!
Will you bookmark this site or use the RSS Feed on the right side bar so we can have coffee together and more visits?
We have lots of ideas to share with you. We hope you'll share some of your valuable ideas or tips that work for you as a caregiver. Many ideas we learned from our own caregiving experiences and many ideas from caregivers who have shared their knowledge and experiences with us over the years.
Today's post is dedicated to all those caregivers who shared their insight so we can all be better at balancing our wellness. Here is to Caregivers, Coffee Mugs and Wellness!
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