Caregiving.com: Managing The Stress ~ Making The Decisions ~ Discovering The Meaning

Solutions To Your Caregiving Situations Throughout Your Caregiving Years

My Elderly Parents by Nita Bourland I walked along with my Dad and Looked into his withered eyes, As I help him walk I begin to think Just how fast time flies... It was just yesterday in the park We were eating tamales and Playing ball, Instead of me helping him up After each and every fall. And My Mom who now forgets What I have said and why, Used to be my daily guide Soothing my every cry. We shared Chocolate Easter Eggs As we shopped each and every store, Now it seems her walk is unsteady Across the Kitchen floor. The computer to them seems useless, As my heart breaks for them each night They'll never know the friends I've found And the encouragement from this site. I want to help them all I can Because if the truth be known, I will someday be like them Aged, withered and worn... Nita is a member of the New Caregiver support group.   Inside Caregiving.com: The Caregiving Years The Caregiving Years School of You Support Center Nominate a Caregiver of the Year Join a Support Group Monthly Special Focus Your Care Kudos Get a Coach What's New Join our Book Club Weekly Comforts For Professionals About Us Shop our store: Products for family caregivers and professionals   Have patience with all things but first with yourself. Never confuse your mistakes with your value as a human being. You're a perfectly valuable, creative, worthwhile person simply because you exist. And no amount of triumphs or tribulations can ever change that. Unconditional self acceptance is the core of a peaceful mind. ~ St. Francis de Sales, 1567-1622, Patron Saint of Journalists By working together, pooling our resources and building on our strengths, we can accomplish great things. ~Ronald Reagan Disclaimer: Opinions expressed by support groups at Caregiving.com are not necessarily those of the Caregiving.com (list owner). Caregiving.com does not endorse recommendations for care, treatment or advice posted to any groups. The purpose of these groups is to encourage discussion, support and comfort between family caregivers. Caregiving.com encourages members looking for clinical and technical information to consult with the appropriate professional entity before taking action. Individuals are prohibited from posting on behalf of commercial concerns.

Caring for an aging relative (parent or spouse or partner)? In need of comfort and camaraderie? Join Our Online Support Groups! It can be very frustrating, upsetting, overwhelming... It can be awful! But, it's even more awful when you're all alone. Our online support groups offer comfort during difficult times and celebrations during those special moments. We've created 11 online support groups (plus a book club and a prayer room) to help you today--and tomorrow. Sometimes, you may feel that you are appropriate for more than one group--and that's great! You can join as many groups as you can manage. And, you may join a group with the idea of helping others, sharing what you've learned (i.e., members of our veteran group join our group for new caregivers to offer guidance and suggestions) and that's even better! To join a group, simply click on the name of your group, below. Before joining, please read our Tips and our disclaimer (on right). And, to help everyone stay on the same page, we find it helpful to remember The Four Agreements. In addition, practice good Netiquette (good online manners). To read about netiquette visit this web page: http://www.albion.com/netiquette You also can speak out at our new Caregiving Forum, where you can post a product review, unload an emotion and discuss current events that affect your caregiving role. Finally, on the left side of this page, you'll find a poem written by a support group member about what her support group means to her. And, the Orlando Sentinel ran a story about online groups and profiled one of our members. Join A Group: 1. New Support Group This group is for persons who are just beginning their caregiving experience. You'll find support in this group if you have just started worrying that an aging relative will need your help in the future or if you have just started to help your aging relative. You may be helping on a weekly basis or a few times a week. Topics discussed in this group include trying to understand how to best help an aging relative; finding help from the community and from other family members; trying to determine a budget; trying to understand an aging relative's needs; trying to define your caregiving personality (what you feel comfortable taking on as a caregiver); trying to navigate through family dynamics. This group helps you plan for a future of caregiving. Health care professionals, interested in sharing their knowledge and insights, can also join. This group was launched in the fall of 2000; we moved to Yahoo! Groups on November 16, 2003. Click to subscribe to new_caregivers   2. Caregiving Support Group This group is for the veterans. You'll find support in this group if you are helping your aging relative on a daily basis, regardless of where your care recipient lives. Topics discussed include managing hands-on care, surviving the emotional roller coaster, maintaining that stiff upper lip, making the most of time together and respecting the grief about all the losses. This group helps you survive your day-in and day-out life of caregiving. Again, we encourage health care professionals, interested in sharing their knowledge and insights, to join. Marilyn, who cared for her mom for 10 years, is the group's moderator. This group was launched in the fall of 1996; we moved to Yahoo! Groups on November 16, 2003. Click to subscribe to caregiving_support   3. Men Support Group If you are a male caregiver, caring for a parent, a spouse, or another family member or friend for an extended period of time, you'll want to join our Men Support Group. Again, health care professionals, interested in sharing their knowledge and insights, can join. Marilyn, who cared for her mom for 10 years, is the group's moderator. This group was launched in the fall of 2000; we moved to Yahoo! Groups on November 16, 2003. Click to subscribe to men_support   4. Grief and Loss Group This group is for persons grieving the loss of their family member, partner and/or friend. Marilyn, who cared for her mom for 10 years, is the group's moderator. Click to subscribe to grief_loss   5. Transitioning Support Group This group is for persons who find their role changing. You'll find support in this group if you are considering nursing home placement, have made a decision about nursing home placement or if your care recipient is dying or has died. This group will help you find ways to fill the void left by caregiving, as well as how to take your lessons learned from your caregiving experience to make a bigger, better life for yourself and your family. This group was launched in the fall of 2000, moving to Yahoo! Groups on November 16, 2003. Click to subscribe to transitioning   6. Young Adult Support This group is for teen-agers and young adults. You'll find support in this group if you are affected by a caregiving situation (i.e., your parents care for your grandparents, your mother cares for your father, etc.). This group was launched in the winter of 2001, moving to Yahoo! Groups on November 16, 2003. This is one of our smallest groups. Click to subscribe to young_adult_caregivers   7. Gay and Lesbian Caregiver Support Group This group is for gays and lesbians caring for a partner, parent, friend or other family member. This group was launched in the spring of 2001, moving to Yahoo! Groups on November 16, 2003. This is one of our smallest groups. Click to subscribe to gay_lesbian_caregivers   8. Families Support Group This group is for family members, spouses, siblings, cousins, who support the primary family caregiver. This group was launched in the winter of 2002, moving to Yahoo! Groups on November 16, 2003. This is one of our smallest groups. Click to subscribe to families_of_caregivers   9. Christian Support Group This is a support group for persons of faith interested in delving into discussions about their religious beliefs and experiences, as well as sharing inspiring passages from the Bible. This group was launched in the spring of 2003, moving to Yahoo! Groups on November 16, 2003. Marilyn, who cared for her mom for 10 years, is the group's moderator. Click to subscribe to christian_caregivers   10. Sandwich Support Group If you are caring for aging relatives and raising a young family, then this is the group for you. This group was launched in the spring of 2003, moving to Yahoo! Groups on November 16, 2003. Click to subscribe to sandwich_caregivers   11. Long Distance Caregivers This group helps those family members who manage and oversee care of aging relatives from a distance. Topics discussed in this group include determining what's really going on in an aging relative's home (versus what an aging relative says is going on), how to manage care from afar, and how to deal with the guilt and worry. Marilyn, who cared for her mom for 10 years, is the group's moderator. Click to join long_distance_caregivers   12. Caregiving Book Club Join our book club, where we enjoy great books with a slant toward caregiving. Before joining, learn what we're reading. Be a part of our book club by registering at our Caregiving Forum. 13. Miss Bessie's Prayer Room Miss Bessie’s Prayer Room is the place for you to request prayers for you, your care recipient and other family members, as well as say prayers on behalf of others, of yourself, your care recipient and other family members. Miss Bessie’s Prayer Room honors the loving care provided by Pam and Mike, who cared for Miss Bessie until her death in November, 2004. We invite members of all faiths to join our prayer room and ask that all members respect the glory of all faiths. Click to join caregiving_prayer_room If you have any questions about the groups, please feel free to e-mail Denise. Tell a friend about this article:

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