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I usually share news about eldercare and dementia on my whats new s page but I thought this needed to be front and center. I am a big believer in walking in the shoes of your loved when it comes to eldercare. This shows what a big diference it can make in care.
Experiencing Life, Briefly, Inside a Nursing Home
Dear NFCA members and friends:
I know you’ve heard it before but NOW truly is the time to speak up for the health care reform we all need! It is time to contact your senators and representatives. They do want to hear from you. Contact information is included at the end of this email.
Tell them you are a family caregiver, who you care for, what their diagnosis is, and how long you’ve been a family caregiver. Add a sentence or two about your specific situation.
Here’s NFCA’s message about reform. You can use it as is or modify to fit your style.
Family caregivers provide 80% of the care for our nation’s chronically ill and disabled population. We know from personal experience how poorly our loved ones are cared for in our present system which is focused on acute care and paying for procedures and not holistic care that is carefully coordinated between personnel and across settings.
System delivery reform by which doctors and other healthcare providers will be paid to provide good chronic illness care will make a huge difference in the health and wellbeing of our loved ones. It will also improve our health and wellbeing.
We urge you to pass legislation that authorizes multiple pilot projects across the country focused on providing comprehensive chronic illness care. We urge you to pass legislation that is focused on the whole person, not on procedures. There are so many examples around the country that show this approach saves money. Such programs are examples for the fundamental changes CBO has called for.
Use this link to find the local office of your senators and representative.
You can go to www.senate.gov and www.house.gov to find emails and phone numbers.
You can learn more about the details of pending health care legislation and specifically what it means to family caregivers on NFCA’s web site. Please let us know if you sent a message or visited your elected officials. Your feedback is important. So please send us a note at info@thefamilycaregiver.org and in the subject line write: Speaking Up. Thank you!
Take care,
Suzanne Mintz
President & CEO
PLEASE FORWARD THIS E-LETTER ALONG TO YOUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS and ENCOURAGE ALL THE FAMILY CAREGIVERS YOU KNOW TO JOIN THE NFCA COMMUNITY OF CAREGIVERS. THERE IS NO COST! Just click here: http://www.thefamilycaregiver.org/
National Family Caregivers Association - 10400 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 500, Kensington, MD 20895
1-800-896-3650
To unsubscribe/change profile: click here.
To subscribe: click here.
National Family Caregivers Association
10400 Connecticut Avenue
Suite 500
Kensington, Maryland 20895
I have this box stuffed back in the furthest part of my closet. Every once in a while I take it out, open it up and go threw every memory I have packed in there. You name it, I have it.
Little cloth shaped hearts with different sayings on them. Silly poems I wrote as a teenager. wish lists and bucket lists.
I have yearbooks, concert tickets, movie tickets, postcards and newspaper clippings. There are notes from grade school, middle school and high school.
Halloween costumes. Hand made Christmas gifts. Flags from the forth of July. Teddy bears, balloons, key chains and bottle tops.
Letters from my grandfather to my grandmother.
Letters from my dad to my mom.
And yes letters from my husband to me.
I have my children’s hair clippings and report cards and small school projects. I have baby pictures, wedding pictures, vacation pictures, family pictures, all kinds of pictures. It’s all there. Every thing has a memory attached. Good or bad. It’s all there.
In essence every thing I am and everything I know is in a 60 quart box that I have held on to for the better part of my life.
Why am I telling you this?
Because I believe that my life is not determined by how much money I make, what cloths I have on my body or how big my house is. My life, when I am gone, will be defined by my memories. These little things, most of which cost nothing, will be what my children and grandchildren look at when they want to remember me and that is how it should be.
And if by chance I am effected by Alzheimer’s or Dementia, I would hope that my friends and family members would be willing to pull out this box of memories and let me go threw it every once in a while even if I don’t remember what the hell it is anymore.
Simple little things are what make us who we are. I hope that you also have a place, not just in your heart or your head, but in your home that you can store a memory or two in.
We would like to anounce the newest member of our family. Allyson Rose, born 7/31/09 @ 8:02am, 9lbs 3oz, 20.5 inches. My brother in law Adam and my sister Dee finally have there baby girl at home and in there arms that is if Judy will ever give little Ally back.
