It has been said that the loveliest definition of a friend is “someone who knows

the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the                      

words.”                 

I believe the loveliest definition of a caregiver is “that special someone

 who hears and caringly responds to the song in their loved one’s heart

 even when the words can no longer be said.”         

 Such was the case of our special Café friend, Kathy Laurenhue, CEO and publisher

of  Wiser Now, who for ten years heard and caringly responded to the song in her

beloved mother’s heart even as Alzheimer’s disease advanced and silenced the

words.      

The Gifts Within

 For Kathy, being positive was the cornerstone of her hands-on caregiving ....
                                                                                                                                       

“Alzheimer's is a terrible disease”, she told our Café friends last evening as we

sat sipping some freshly-made lattes.

“But there are gifts within that barbed wire wrapping:                                                                           

People with AD have much to teach us about living in the moment and

essential elements of communication.      

People with AD are often extremely good at sensing mood and ‘reading’ nonverbal

messages.   Therefore, when we are relaxed and cheerful, they are more likely to

be relaxed and cheerful.”                                                                                                      

Positive Talk

 Kathy actually had us laughing when she taught us how to give positive directions

to our loved ones:                                                                                                                         

“If someone says, ‘Don’t think of pink elephants’, our minds will

immediately picture those pesky pink

elephants!                                                                                               

So if we ask our loved ones to do what we want (‘Please stay inside with me’)

instead of what we don’t want (‘Don’t go outside’), we are far more likely to get        

the results we were hoping for!”

Make It Personal

Kathy’s personalized approach to care grew out of the warm philosophy and

practical solutions she applied in supporting her mother’s well-being for ten

years:   “We are often thrown into situations where we are told to simply "do your best,"

which is useless if we've been given no instruction on how to do the assignment.”

Easy to Read Guides

Her refreshingly cheerful; easy-to-read; smart-to-follow guides are helping thousands

of caregivers across our country:

 ABC Guide  gives us basic understanding of dementia & its progression.  It guides us in communicating & making everyday life simpler and more successful for our loved one and ourselves.

 ADL Guide assists families with everyday tasks of dressing, grooming,  continence care, bathing, & nutrition.

We hope you’ll visit Kathy at  Wiser Now.  Sign up for her free weekly email digest, "Just a Bite."  Browse her helpful books and newsletters on Caregiving and  Brain Aerobics that are sure to put some refreshingly cheerful resources in your hands!!!    Caringly,    Jackie & Jeff

Be first to comment this article

Write Comment

Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
E-mail
Homepage
Title:
BBCode:
Comment:
Code:*
	I wish to be contacted by email regarding additional comments

Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6
AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com
All right reserved