Senior Care Resources

The Qeepr.com website has created a blog with grief support and resources for senior care. I want to refer you to their post Your Top Senior Care Resources that includes a list of resources to address the needs of our aging population as well as their families and other caregivers. Their intention is to help those looking for medical information, caregivers to hire, tips to deal with elderly family members, finding an advocacy group and even those seeking caregiver jobs.

Here is their list from Your Top Senior Care Resources that Qeepr.com has given me permission to share:

Resources

Homeinstead.ca – Dedicated to caring for the elderly. Information from home care, alzheimer’s, dementia, arthritis, fitness and more.

Dawnkairns.com – An online resource and a wonderful book, Final Years is a collection of stories from people dealing with tough decisions, emotional pain, depression, joy and the family dynamics surrounding old age care.

Caring.com – Online resource for those looking to hire caregivers. Home care, independent living facilities, nursing care, assisted living and more. Search for senior care by city and state as well as browse their list of helpful articles. Continue reading →

Senior Move Management

Do you have a senior parent who needs help moving to independent living in a retirement center, or into assisted living? Did you know that senior move management experts specialize in just this very thing? I recently learned about A Place for Everything, owned by Sarah Gabriele, MBA in Colorado. They are experts in senior move management. When it’s time to move, the space planning experts from A Place for Everything can “coordinate, supervise and oversee” your parent’s relocation. They will help your parent to downsize from their current home space to comfortably fit into their new living environment with care and attention to their accumulated and treasured possessions. They can also stage their current home to help it sell.

Their professional organizers will help at the new location to unpack boxes, organize and put everything away. They also arrange furniture and hang artwork if that is needed, making your parent’s new house feel like a home from the start.

They do encourage adult children to participate when it’s possible, and to work closely with their move management team. A Place for Everything is a member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM).

Grief Support Network’s Gift of Grief

I recently learned of the Grief Support Network in Boulder, Colorado. “Grief Support Network (GSN) is a non-profit, community–based organization that offers a new and positive perspective on the process of healing from grief and loss…a network of wellness providers who share the belief that all people have the power to transform themselves through their grief when they are given enough support, guidance and time to do so.” Their goal is to connect individuals and families with “services and programs that will support them to heal and move forward in their lives.”

GSN was founded in 2012 by Wendy Black Stern after the loss of her first born child, Noah, at nine months of age. The following poem about grief was written by Wendy and I want to share it with you because anyone coping with the loss of a loved one whether it be a child, parent, grandparent, sibling, spouse, dog, cat or friend can relate to Wendy’s heartfelt poem. Please share these beautiful words with all who may find comfort in them. Continue reading →

TRU Community Care for Serious Disease, End-of-Life Care, Grief

We have an amazing resource in our community that I want you all to know about. It is called TRU Community Care. Their mission is “to work to ensure that everyone in our community can live with advanced illness as comfortably, confidently, and fully as possible.”

Last March Hospice Care of Boulder and Broomfield Counties changed its’ name to TRU Community Care because they felt Hospice Care of Boulder and Broomfield Counties no longer fully described their organization. The name TRU is an acronym for Trusted, Responsive, Unparalleled, adjectives often used to describe them. Through the years they responded to changes in community needs and have responded with programs that extend beyond hospice. In addition, their services now reach outside Boulder and Broomfield Counties.They do continue to provide hospice care and offer grief support to anyone who has suffered a loss.

For example, if you or a loved one are living with an advanced illness but are not ready for hospice care, Continue reading →

SEE Every Elderly Person Through THESE Eyes

This amazing, anonymous poem shared by elderhelpers.org, titled Cranky Old Man really touched me. I feel compelled to share it with you in its’ truth and simplistic beauty:

“When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in an Australian country town, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.
Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, They found this poem. Continue reading →

Book for Caregivers to Aging or Ill Parents

You may wonder how I went from writing about my soul mate dog in MAGGIE The Dog Who Changed My Life to writing about parent care and loss. Although they are two different topics, both of my books bring to light difficult feelings and experiences that many find hard to talk about and listen to. Both MAGGIE and my parents touched my deeply and changed my life.

Are you a caregiver to aging or ill parents? Have you lost your parents? Many baby boomers are part of the sandwich generation caring for both their children and elderly parents. In my new book, FINAL YEARS Stories of Parent Care, Loss and Lives Changed, ten people shared stories of tough decisions, family dynamics, grief, and healing as their parents’ health diminished and they eventually passed. I weave my own account through each of their chapters. Continue reading →