Sunday, August 29, 2010

Coping with Pet Loss, August 22 - August 28

From Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Caregiving and Hospice, August 22 - August 28

From Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:
  • Length of Stay in Nursing Homes at End of Life: Implications for Palliative Care, http://bit.ly/caseZx via GeriPal
  • End of Life Care: Some interventions can extend life, reduce suffering and save money, http://huff.to/9WiZsG 
  • Early Diagnosis of Alzheimers Disease: Idea Not Ready for Prime Time, http://bit.ly/bqPN0G via GeriPal


Understanding and Managing Grief, August 22 - August 28

From Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:
  • Spouse Loss Makes Life Doubly Hard by Christine Thiele | Open to Hope Foundation, http://bit.ly/9sfsMm 
  • Best way to support the bereaved? Listen! by Catherine Tidd | Open to Hope Foundation, http://bit.ly/borcC7 
  • Dave Roberts: The Importance of Adequate Support for the Bereaved | Open to Hope Foundation, http://bit.ly/byRsRL


Thursday, August 26, 2010

Tender Care Beds: Making Hospital Beds Beautiful

I received the following message yesterday and want to share it with all of you:

My name is Gary Owens. I am a full time caregiver for my wife Gina. One of the problems I had was keeping our bedroom home-like with all the medical equipment ( home hospital bed, etc ) we needed. I want to share something with you that made a huge difference for both of us. I invented a wood slip-over head and footboard that slide over the ends of an ugly hospital bed and turn it into a beautiful piece of furniture:

 

This product can be used at home or in a long term care facility. It's never been done before, therefore people don't know to ask for it. They just suffer in silence with their sterile, clinical looking rooms. All ages enjoy the home-like look and feel it adds to the look of their surroundings, without losing the function of their hospital bed. Go to www.tendercareathome.com for details.

I am asking Bloggers like yourself to help me get the word out. If we only improved the environment for one family, it would be worth our effort . . . I can be reached at the numbers below. Thanks for your help.

Gary Owens

"We Make Hospital Beds Beautiful"

Gary E. Owens

TenderCare Beds, LLC
Direct Line - 662-862-9419
877-407-4440 x 105
gary@tendercarebeds.com
www.tendercarebeds.com
www.tendercareathome.com

If so inclined, you can also visit Gary's Facebook page, leave a comment, become a fan and share the link with others.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Caregiving and Hospice, August 15 - August 21

From Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:
  • Affinity Community Educator uses game to teach about hospice, Bedford Minuteman, http://bit.ly/ay4uvB 

Understanding and Managing Grief, August 15 - August 21

From Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:
  • Impact of Grief Spreads Beyond Family to All of Society | Open to Hope Foundation, http://bit.ly/9RWqn2
  • Meditations on the Word ‘Still’ by bereaved grandparent Nina Bennett: | Open to Hope Foundation http://bit.ly/bHbBay 
  • Good Grief and DSM V- Sacred Rite or Medical Ritual? by Allen Frances in NY Times, http://nyti.ms/d0Z98Y 


Coping with Pet Loss, August 15 - August 21

From Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Caregiving and Hospice, August 8 - August 14

From Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:
  • New book by CNN senior medical correspondent, The Empowered Patient - AOL Health, http://bit.ly/cscUYO 

Understanding and Managing Grief, August 8 - August 14

From Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:
  • Stephanie Baffone on mother loss and devotional prayer: What I Learned From Eat, Pray, Love, http://bit.ly/91p8NV
  • Ellen Gerst on discovering life after death: What I Learned at Camp Widow 2010, http://bit.ly/breNRF



Coping with Pet Loss, August 8 - August 14

From Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:
  • Preparing for pet loss : When You Need to Think Ahead - Veterinary Wisdom® CafĂ©, http://bit.ly/9o463I 
  • Ask the Doctor: Is it Normal to Grieve for Months When a Pet Dies? - Harvard Health Publications, http://bit.ly/daYuge 

Other News of Interest, August 8 - August 14

From Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Empowering Ability for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities

With 15 years of clinical experience working in hospital, educational and community settings as an occupational therapy (OT) and assistive technology (AT) consultant, Debra Young, MEd, OTR/L, ATP, CAPS  is uniquely qualified to blog about the special living needs of seniors and persons with disabilities, as well as their desire to live independently.  Since her husband Bill has a C5-C6 incomplete spinal cord injury resulting in quadriplegia, Debra designed their current home to create an accessible, barrier-free environment, while still maintaining the aesthetics by integrating the modifications into the design of the home.  In addition, she has been working with her parents to allow them to safely age-in-place in their current home.  Her Occupational Therapy-based consulting agency, EmpowerAbility™, LLC offers aging-in-place, home safety, assistive technology and accessibility consultation to residents of Delaware,  Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey.  Anyone else wishing to profit from her experience and expertise can visit Debra’s blog, http://empowerability.wordpress.com/.  It’s a treasure-trove of personal stories that convey genuine understanding of the challenges of “living with a wheelchair user” (see, for example, Summer 2010: Accessible Camping, or not … ) as well as practical ideas for effective caregiving, all designed to promote independence and functional performance in various life environments.