A hearty welcome to all our new readers. We're glad to have you along on this up and down ride!  Remember, there's no such thing as a dumb question, and none of us know what we don't know.

5 Steps To Choosing The Best Adult Day Program

We are great fans of good adult day activity programs. A good day program will offer benefits that no amount of loving care at home can provide: a combination of stimulating activities and soothing time to regroup...carefully programmed throughout the day; experienced staff who rotate so no one becomes frustrated or exhausted; opportunities for every participant to be successful at something every single day; and friends and experiences that belong solely to the participant.

For the caregiver the benefits are also clear: a chance to spend some guilt-free time away from caregiving responsibilities; the opportunity to watch their loved one grow and flourish; and a supportive professional group who come to know their attendees well and who can give guidance and support.

Read the rest of 5 Steps To Choosing The Best Adult Day Program>>>
 

A National Volunteer Program

Faith in Action is an interfaith volunteer caregiving initiative that brings together volunteers from churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship, as well as the community at large, to help their neighbors who have long-term health needs.

Volunteers do not provide personal or medical care. Instead they focus building friendships and helping with every day activities that medical programs do not provide for: transportation, shopping and other errands, friendly visiting, light housework, telephone reassurance, and respite for a caregiver.

Use the Faith in Action Directory to see if there is a group near you.

Believe nothing. No matter where you read it, or who said it, even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. ~ Buddha

Presidential Memorial Certificate

A deceased veteran's next of kin and loved ones can receive an engraved certificate, signed by the current president, which expresses the country’s grateful recognition of the veteran’s service in the United States Armed Forces.

This certificate, which honors the memory of an honorably discharged deceased veteran, might mean a great deal to some bereaved family members. More than one certificate can be provided so that all family members and other loved ones receive one.

It may take several weeks to receive a certificate. Therefore, it is not possible to have them for an immediate funeral. However, they make meaningful memorial gifts.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers the Presidential Memorial Certificate program.

It's The Little Things

Often one of the first things we may notice about an aging loved one is that his or her handwriting is deteriorating. Poor handwriting isn't a given when we age, but it certainly can be when arthritis invades our hands and wrists.

Pick up a standard-issue pen. Notice how tightly your hand and fingers have to curl to use it. Now imagine (imagine only, please...don't really do this) smashing your knuckles a few times with a hammer. Now try gripping that pen (in your imagination). Now you can see why writing can be a painful and illegible business for some folks.

This little tool requires about a 5-second adjustment and can take much of the pain out of using a pen. It might make all the difference in an older person being able to manage a checkbook and bill-paying again, not to mention the address book. Such a small thing to restore some independence. It's the Freeform Writing Pen