Contemplative practices for adults, older adults, and their caregivers
with Deanna Smith. Published previously in the Port Planet, January 2009 Most adults need eight hours of sleep to function well. Many may think they can get by on less, but actually less than 10% of the population can do this. If you are sleepy at bedtime, and are not sleepy during the day, you …
Does this sound like your story? You have been taking care of your loved one. She may be experiencing dementia, heart disease, a traumatic accident, cancer, or a combination of chronic illness and decreased mobility related to aging. Most of your time, thoughts, and resources have focused on your her needs. Possibly you have given …
Continue reading "Four challenges to recovering from family caregiving"
When my time as a family caregiver came to an end, I started searching for a solution in my favorite healthcare journals. Nothing. Expanding my search, I checked scholarly article search engines, Pub Med, and more. Very little. Becoming a bit desperate, I did a general internet search. There I found an abundance of blogs …
Continue reading "What Healthcare Doesn’t Know About Recovering After Family Caregiving"
“My friends want me to go out with them, I need to find a job, and my home is a disaster. It’s been 6 months since my partner passed on. I was so busy taking care of him, lots of things just didn’t get done. I’m far behind on home maintenance, car maintenance, my own …
Continue reading "Key points pertaining to the transitional life phase of family caregiver recovery"
"When the drum stops, the stillness is palpable. Somehow with less sensory stimulation, we are more alert, more present, more in touch with our surroundings. And certainly more resilient to the overload of sensory stimulation that awaits us, ‘out there.’ " – A contemplative drummer Although the general public might not consider drumming to be …
Continue reading "Integrating drumming and other contemplative practices"
Shopping, cooking, lots of family time, busy days, and late nights. It’s so easy to become overwhelmed with everything that’s taking up your time and energy. During the holidays it’s even more important than usual to remember to relax and enjoy some serenity. Here are suggestions to make the holidays less stressful and more meaningful. …
Op/Ed I despise news bytes that misrepresent health and medical research especially those pertaining to my passion for holistic, integrative medicine. A recent sensationalized claim about complementary medicine and cancer deaths has given rise to my righteous indignation. Please bear with me and read on - your health may depend upon it! Evidence based integrative …
When spinning out of control, instinct guides you to grab onto whatever you can use to control the situation. Why doesn’t this work? Well, controlling medical emergencies, workplace distress, current events, family drama, weather disasters, traffic jams, and the behavior of friends and colleagues just isn’t possible. There is so little you can actually control. …
Continue reading "Six Ways to Get Centered, When Chaos Surrounds You"
The warning read, “Getting out of this car requires significant flexibility and strength in your knees, back, and shoulders. Please do not sit in the car if you have difficulties in those areas.” Four years ago, I would have backed away. Four years ago, if I was at an auto show, I would have been …
Continue reading "The Race to Recovery for Family Caregivers"
“Be careful – watch for the others walking the labyrinth!” cautioned the mom of two preschoolers scampering across the labyrinth paths. It was a very large classic 7 circuit labyrinth and the boys had been careful thus far. Truly I was enjoying their energy as they collected and arranged the fallen flowers found on the …
