The Knee Bone's Connected To ...
tsb

Such a face! Daddy Bones@ age 12, gracing the book's cover.

 

 How to Keep Your Sanity Intact When a Loved One Needs a Nursing Home  

It’s estimated that more than 50 million people provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend during any given year.

Studies show that extremely stressed caregivers can age or die prematurely. 

“Bette Davis said ‘old age is no place for sissies,’ but caring for an older loved one isn’t for the feint of heart, either,” says Bones. “I loved my dad and we were very close, but the strain of ‘putting’ him in a nursing home was so overwhelming for all of us that I felt like I was on the edge of a nervous breakdown.”

Becoming aware of some of the don’ts” of long-term care can make daily life easier for nursing home residents and for their family caretakers,” she notes.

Bones offers some key examples from her Nursing Home Checklist:

· Ask clergy, family, and friends - especially those in the health care field - to recommend outstanding nursing homes.

· When touring a nursing home, ask other visitors for frank feedback about the facility. Don’t just inspect the “sample” room, look into residents’ rooms to check for cleanliness.

· Assure your loved one that you will be their ongoing advocate.

· Visit your loved one often and at varying times of the day - and night. This alerts all of the caregivers that you are keeping an eye on your loved one.

· Get to know the staff, especially your loved one’s immediate caregivers.

· Thank the employees for the thankless job that they do.

· Put your loved one’s name on all their belongings, including clothes and personal products. Never leave money or valuables in their room.

· Place a quilt, photos and other small touches to create a “homey” room.

· Put a brief bio and picture of your loved one at the entrance of their room to “introduce” them to staff and visitors.

. Bring old photos when you visit your loved one - it will give you something to look at if conversation lags.

. Bring different edible treats to spice-up the resident's menu.

 

 


 

 

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Monday
Feb202012

SOME FUN! (SORTA)

DateMonday, February 20, 2012 at 03:13PM

Who says there ain't nuthin' to do during these dark days of winter?
Why, just this week there were some real humdinger events listed in the newspaper, including:

- The Suburban Home and Garden Show. This enticing half-page ad drew me in with a headshot of The late Princess of Wales and the headline "Diana, the People's Princess, a private collection - Meet Diana's former butler Paul Burrell" and "Get the Royal Treatment."


At first I thought perhaps the Home & Garden Show was showcasing a bunch of marigolds from Lady Di's garden that somehow survived 15 years after her demise. But further investigation online revealed that the "private collection" referred to a "series" of gowns and dresses worn by the late princess. (My ballpark is that they'll have - at most - two of her most mundane dresses thrown on a couple of wire hangers.)

What does royal fashion have to do with homes and gardens? Beats me. But you have to give kudos to her servant for squeezing a buck out of his former employer for as long as he possibly can and by whatever means possible. In the "oh, how the mighty have fallen" category, he's gone from being interviewed on 60 MINUTES to unabashedly hawking his tenuous royal affiliation at a show with 300 vendors who are also selling their wares in the Philadelphia-area hinterlands.

Lady Di is probably rolling over in her tiara.

- The Greater Philadelphia Sports Show - This sounds like fun for the whole family, especially when you read about the headliners, such as the Swampmaster, a brave alligator handler who "demonstrates his skills at alligator handling and presents educational information about alligators." Because, let's be honest, if there's one skill the kids from the Philly region need to learn more about, it's how to handle a gator.

But Swampmaster isn't the only star of the show. There's also Jack Dagger, "The King of Fling...a world renowned knife throwing comedian" who has been inducted into the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame. That sounds like a superb combo because who doesn't enjoy some sharp objects being fired along with some sharp jabs?

Curiously, this sports show is being held in the exact same Philly burb as the aforementioned "royal" Home & Garden Show.

Now, if they could only feature the Swampmaster wrestling Paul Burrell while Jack Dagger throws knives at the shameless British manservant, we'd finally get to see some real entertainment...

AuthorDiane Bones | CommentPost a Comment | Reference3 References |

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References (3)

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    Response: Read Home
    at Read Home on October 18, 2013
    Your Site Name - Bonesblog - SOME FUN! (SORTA)
  • Response
    Response: Post Brothers
    at Post Brothers on March 16, 2014
    Your Site Name - Bonesblog - SOME FUN! (SORTA)
  • Response
    Response: Post Brothers
    at Post Brothers on March 17, 2014
    Your Site Name - Bonesblog - SOME FUN! (SORTA)

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