Tag Archives: caregivers

Book review: A Quilt of Wishes

A Quilt of Wishes is a charming little book. It tells how, while a baby girl sleeps in China, her mother waits across the ocean, wondering about her baby. She finds an old quilt that her mother had made for her, and hopes that her baby is warm and loved. She decides to make a quilt for her baby. She uses her own old baby clothes, and friends learn about the project and make squares for the baby’s quilt. They send wishes for the new baby and for the family’s happiness, which the mother repeats to herself as she sews. … Continue reading →

Caring for the Elderly: Advanced Memory Loss

Two years can seem like a very long time, or a very short time. I moved in with my grandmother in March 2004 and have since become one of her primary caretakers. Lately, my grandmother’s memory problems seem to have accelerated. Within the last few months, it seems, she’s gone from mostly capable to much closer to incapable. She’s forgotten where the silverware is (it’s been in the same drawer for as long as I can remember, which is close to thirty years). She’s forgotten where the dishes are kept. She brings the mail in, then turns around and checks … Continue reading →

What Babysitters and Caregivers of Diabetic Kids Should Know

When your young child is a diabetic, it can be unnerving to leave him or her with a babysitter. So many things could go wrong. What if your son experiences insulin shock while you’re away? What if your daughter develops hyperglycemia and gets a stomachache? How will the caretaker know what to do? And how do you encapsulate what has taken you months to learn into a quick, easy lesson for a sitter? It seems impossible, which is why many parents choose to just stay home with their child. Classes for Caregivers are Provided at Your Child’s Diabetic Clinic or … Continue reading →

Caring For the Elderly: The Health Police

Kristyn wrote a great article a few weeks ago about being the Blood Sugar Police. It really struck a chord with me because while she cares for a son with diabetes, I am helping care for a grandmother with diabetes. I live with my eighty year old grandmother, and am one of her primary caretakers. We have good days and bad days… and the bad days can be really bad. “Why don’t you just leave an old lady alone to die?” That’s my favorite quote. (Not really.) It’s what she says when someone is nagging her to take her medicine, … Continue reading →

Caring For the Elderly: Memory Loss

For those of you who don’t know, I live with my eighty year old grandmother and am one of her primary caretakers. Memory loss in the elderly is frustrating for everyone. The person who is starting to lose their memory (in this case, my grandmother) may go through a period of denial. They know that something isn’t right; they know they’re forgetting things or feel like they’re going crazy. My grandmother tries to cover for her forgetting in two ways: either she swears up and down that you never told her what you told her or she makes something up … Continue reading →

Early Detection For Alzheimer’s Disease

How many animals can you name in a minute? How many different types of fruit can you name in a minute? The answers may just give a clue to whether or not you are suffering from early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. A recent study asked the question of 136 volunteers, with surprising results. People with early signs of Alzheimer’s managed to name an average of ten to fifteen animals or fruits. Healthy adults managed twenty to twenty-five. Not a huge difference, but enough for researchers to be able to pick out early Alzheimer’s disease patients simply by their word lists. … Continue reading →