Caregiver Training Blog

Ever gone for your doctor’s appointment and arrive on time and then you sit and wait and wait for your name to be called?  The time waiting can sometimes be excruciating; all the while thinking about all the possible things that may be wrong, not looking forward to being weighed or poked, as your blood pressure elevates.   For an elderly person, it can be even more difficult; therefore being prepared for the visit, may alleviate some of the anxiety.

At the end of each of the chapters in her book, The Gift of Years – Growing Older Gracefully, author Joan Chittister writes a brief summary she calls the burden and the blessing.  Being present to someone who has experienced a loss through death, divorce or is grieving after having lost their job can often weigh us down; but can also provide us with abundant blessings. It is difficult to see a friend or loved one go through the grieving process and yet not allowing or recognizing the grieving will only delay what hopefully leads to acceptance or other type of resolution.

Do you remember watching those old Laurel and Hardy movies where one or the other would fall down a flight of stairs or inadvertently slip on a rug and end up flat on their back?  It seemed funny at the time especially since after each fall, they were able to recover quickly and move on to the next spill.  Falls are certainly not funny when it comes to elders; in fact according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “Each year, an estimated one third of older adults fall, and the likelihood of falling increases substantially with advancing age. In fact, falls are one of the leading causes of death due to injury among the elderly.