Who Takes Care of the Caregiver? | by Linda Brendle

A friend sent me this video a few days ago, but I just watched it today. It reminded me of God’s response to Job in Chapter 39  and surrounding chapters of the Book of Job in which God talked about how He takes care of all the creatures He created. It also reminded me of the passage in Matthew 6: 25-34 in which Jesus tells His followers that if God cares for the beasts and plants of the field, He will care for them, too.

If you’re caring for a loved one, I hope this beautiful song and video are of some comfort. If I were still a caregiver, it would be a daily part of my life.

Thanks for sending this, Betsy.

Blessings,

Linda

Nothin’ Says Lovin’… | by Linda Brendle

…like somethin’ from the oven. That’s the relationship advice we heard from the Pillsbury Doughboy, aka Poppin’ Fresh, beginning in the mid-60s. If you love someone, show them by baking something nice and fattening. That’s what I’m doing today. It’s David’s birthday, and I just put a three-layer German chocolate cake in the oven.  It’s his absolute favorite cake of all time.

The Stress Doesn’t Always Go Away When a Loved One Dies | by Linda Brendle

I recently came across an article in the New York Times originally posted on January 30 titled “For some Caregivers, the Trauma Lingers.” It was written by Judith Graham, and it’s about PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) in caregivers. Graham says there has been little research on the topic which, she thinks, means it has been overlooked or discounted. She goes on to list some of the typical symptoms of PTSD: flashbacks, feelings of numbness, anxiety, guilt, dread, depression, irritability, apathy, and tension among others.

Senior Humor – Edition 13 | by Linda Brendle

It’s cold and rainy here, so I thought a little humor might brighten my day. I hope it does the same for yours.

An irate elderly customer called the newspaper office, loudly demanding to know where her Sunday edition was.

“Ma’am,” said the employee, “today is Saturday. The Sunday paper won’t be delivered until tomorrow.”

There was quite a pause on the other end of the phone.

“Oh,” said the lady. “I’ll bet that’s why no one was in church today, too.”

What Is That? A Must See Video for Dementia Caregivers

I was planning another edition of senior humor today until I saw this video on Facebook. Mom, I’m sorry for the times I sat in this young man’s seat.

Top Ten Signs Your Healthcare Is in Trouble | by Linda Brendle

Just inside the door of the Senior Center are a couple of wire racks that are always full of various publications from Rains County and surrounding areas. One is a free advertising and humor paper called Giggles & Grins. I “borrowed” the following list from their latest issue:

 

You can tell your healthcare is in trouble when:

 

1. The only 100% covered expense is embalming.
2. Your anti-anxiety medication comes in colors and has little “m’s” on each pill.

Cross Generational Caregivers | by Linda Brendle

No generation gap here.

I’m at that age that some poetically call the Autumn of Life, and I’m approaching Winter more quickly than I care to admit. But whatever you call it, it’s a season when end of life issues demand more attention than they did in earlier years. I lost both my parents in the last two years, and I spend more time looking at sympathy cards than congratulation cards lately. We’ve had two deaths in our church family recently, and while the situations were very different in most ways, there was a similarity that is worth a little attention – cross-generational caregivers.

How About Pancakes, He Said | by Linda Brendle

David had some dental surgery last week. After 8 months of wrestling with an infection, the endodontist finally performed what we hope is the last procedure, leaving David with several stitches in the roof of his mouth. He’s not one to complain a lot. He says it only hurts when he talks, eats or drinks. He’s been eating a lot of soup, pudding and ice cream and a lot of oatmeal for breakfast. Yesterday he tried dry cereal, but it hurt, so I offered alternatives this morning.

“Do you want to try dry cereal again, or do you want something else?”

“What’s something else?”

“I think I have enough oatmeal for today or I could make pancakes.”

“How about pancakes,” he said.

Random or Hit-and-Run Acts of Kindness | by Linda Brendle

Doing something nice for someone with no expectation of reward is nothing new, but every so often the idea is pulled out and given a new coat of paint. When I was a kid, these actions were called “good deeds,” and every Boy Scout was expected to do one every day. A few years ago, after a media makeover, good deeds became “random acts of kindness.” Now, thanks to the latest episode of NCIS, they may become known as “hit-and-runs.”

Episode 13 focused on Abby Schiuto, everybody’s favorite zany genius

Actress Pauley Perrette, aka Abby Sciuto from “NCIS”, signs autographs for fans in Las Vegas. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

who runs the NCIS lab. Her current case caused her to flash back on her “first” case, a time in her childhood when she tried to solve a mystery. Just like the adult Abby, she became emotionally involved with the people she met and took their problems as her own. Her inability to solve their problems, and her inability to resolve her current case in a happily-ever-after manner, led her to question her value as a person. As always, Gibbs came to the rescue:

Date Night in Quitman, Texas | by Linda Brendle

David and I don’t have a regular date night. We enjoy each other’s company enough that watching a movie on our 47” television with a bag of microwaved popcorn seems like a date. But thanks to David’s growing reputation as a chili cook-off judge, we had a special date night last Friday in Quitman, another small East Texas town about 25 miles from Emory.

A couple of weeks ago, David got an urgent call from a friend in Quitman. They went to school together in Jonesboro, Louisiana, and the tale of how they reconnected after all these years is a tribute to coincidence, but that’s another story. For now, she was in a bind and needed help. She was coordinating a chili cook-off to benefit the Special Olympics, and one of her judges had pulled out for medical reasons. She needed someone from a county other than hers and preferably someone with a little bit of experience. Lured by the chance to expand his resume and by all the free chili he could eat, David said yes, and I went along to watch the show. I didn’t take my camera, and my phone didn’t have enough of a charge to take a lot of pictures, but I took enough to show you that people in Quitman know how to have fun.