Caregiving

Last year I was reminded once again of the importance of being known in this world. My brother died. Upon his death, I became the last one standing of my biological family. My brother was the last person who had known me my entire life. We had a common origin. We shared a common history. We knew each other from the inside out. Today, I miss “remembering when” with my brother! I long for him to fill in the blanks when I fail to remember a name or an event in our family. More than anything, I long to be known—a predominant desire for human beings that is seemingly magnified as we age.

March is my time to Celebrate the coming of Spring and my Birthday! I am so grateful to share my special day with my husband, ‘children’and grandchildren. It is also a Celebration of 28 years that Jack is Living with Cancer.

Having worked in the field of hospice and palliative care for many years, I realize most people are not comfortable talking about death and dying. In fact, as a community educator, I became quite creative when advertising programs and events so as not to scare people away! We live in an age denying, death averse society. However, our reluctance to confront the reality of our mortality doesn’t serve us well. Instead, if we are able to accept the fact that human beings are finite creatures—we will all die—then we are free to live fully present to the moment. I learned this life-giving lesson from those I companioned in hospice.

As an educator and life-long student, Jane Barton, MTS, MASM,CSA, Caregiving Ambassador AARP Colorado, believes that knowledge provides the necessary foundation from which to make the best decisions. This is certainly true within the context of the caregiving journey.

Join AARP Colorado for a conference exploring care giving.

As human beings, we experience a variety of losses over the course of a lifetime. When we lose something or someone, we grieve. However, we are not grief savvy. We don’t understand the twists and turns of grief. Our ignorance about the journey does not serve us well. Ill-informed, we have unrealistic expectations. We fail to access needed resources. We fear the unknown. And, we resist re-engaging with life in order to avoid future losses. Although I am well versed in the academic discourse regarding grief, it is my personal experience of loss that informed me the most.

AARP has opened applications for the 2019 AARP Community Challenge grant program to fund “quick-action” projects that spark change across the country. Now in its third year, the program is part of AARP’s nationwide work on Livable Communities. Grants can range from several hundred dollars for small, short-term activities to several thousand dollars for larger projects.

Greetings one and all…

An estimated 750 medical professionals, persons living with Mild Cognitive Impairment and early dementia, unpaid and professional caregivers will gather on Monday, April 29, for the 30th annual Rocky Mountain Conference on Dementia, hosted by the Colorado Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Today, let’s chat about those moments when we desperately want to DO something for a family member or a friend…..but we feel powerless to do anything of significance. In those moments we wonder, “What can I do?”