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
Oct082012

SPAM, A LOT!

DateMonday, October 8, 2012 at 02:04PM

You've got mail?

I've got spam, tons of it.

Last week, I forgot to delete my spam messages and before I could say "Who the hell sends this crap?" almost 300 spams were screaming for attention in my mailbox.

That led me to wonder what the acronym "spam" stood for - Save People Any Mailings? Seek Professional Analysis, Moron?

No, legend has it that a bunch of computer geeks were big Monty Python fans and in honor of the comedy group's infamous "spam, spam, spam, spam, spam" sketch, they labeled the mass mailings that nobody wants to reads "spam" and the name caught on.

In the big blob of spam that I accumulated, there were some real doozies including these:

- The "delegate from the United Nations to the International Monetary Fund West African Regional Payment Office" who claimed that I was "Listed and approved" for a $500,000 payment for scammed victims. All I had to do was send a $75 "stamp fee" to collect my half-mil. A scammer sending a scam letter claiming to repay a scam victim? I may just send the guy a few bucks for his sheer audacity and his belief that there truly IS a sucker born every minute...

- Simona Viola, who began her message with "Meow Honey" then went on to suggest that we spend a couple of hot weekends together and "have fun without needless questions." Yeah, because if there is one thing that definitely ruins a wild weekend, it's a bunch of unnecessary inquiries, like "What's your name?"; "Did you use an alias in prison?" and "You want HOW much for a footrub?"

- The lady who wrote, "Dear Belove, Here writes Mrs. Ghada Yasir, suffering from cancerous ailment..." Never mind her typos and grasp of the language, I think cancer survivors everywhere should get together and email her back so many spam messages that she's be cured of something.

- Then there were the The Lucky Casino marketing geniuses who wanted to wish me Happy Holidays (in October - way to get over that procrastination tendency, folks!), not to mention the "Urgent Message regarding how to Obtain Enlarge It"; "Urgent Message regarding Mesh Patch Lawsuits"; "Urgent Message regarding Yasmin Lawsuits"; and, in full circle mode, "Urgent Message Regarding Enlarge It lawsuits."

- I also had a "legitimate business offer from a barrister" - a first! - and emails from those who were Married But Lonely (get a dog); Beautiful Singles (this does not compute); and Sexy Seniors (this really does not compute...).

- If I wanted, I could get a free Dell laptop (but I so enjoy paying for the one I already have!); earn a Medical Assistant degree (I may actually look into this one...); and try a NuWave Cooktop to "discover the perfect solution or dorm room or outdoor cooking" (what in the name of God does making dinner outside and whipping up a meal in a dorm room have in common -combustible flames?)

Spam saves a lot of paper, so I guess I should just be incredibly grateful for the "delete all" button. And I'm gonna use it , right after I learn a new language in 10 minutes, check out the details of Discreet Sex Dates and skim just a bit more of my SPAM, SPAm, SPam, Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam...


 

AuthorDiane Bones | CommentPost a Comment |

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