It's not enough that caregiving contends with incessant demands from care receivers, caregivers must also deal with "uncaring" persons, those people who do not empathize with needs to deliver care. Could it be we also need to give better care...to everyone?

We use the same words but speak two different languages.

The Health Care Profession attempts to organize a system of care delivery; the family caregiver delivers health care to the individual.

The HCP often treats strangers as friends; the fc finds friends have often become strangers.

The HCP is concerned with overwhelming liability; the fc is liable to be overwhelmed with concern.

The HCP can be a "biz" and in order to run like clockwork, the fc must comply with rules and regulations.

Words you can Think About

 

 

Be the change that you want

to see in the world (Gandhi)

 

Give hope to the despairing

 

Grow means to trust in the Lord

 

The hardest part of finding your way

after you’re lost is letting go

of everything holding you back

 

Blessed are those who

Hunger and Thirst for Justice

 

Reach into your own faith

and build the kingdom of God

 

Remember: rich rewards will be

greatest in heaven

 

Believe everyone makes a difference

 

Pray twice when you sing

 

Freedom is coming

 

Happy Holidays

The search for peace and the search for justice don't have to be mutually exclusive.

What makes caregiving rewarding? I'll tell you what makes caregiving rewarding. It's knowing you give something for someone else.

It is a moot point to tell you I have the social skills of an engineer. I am an engineer. This spaces format is predominantly a social networking media. I chose to participate by defining social as a forum for examining views on responsibility in today's global society.

It is important to tell you about our care receivers. We are caregivers. We are just like you. We try to juggle many interests, responsibilities, and cares. Sometimes we are successful. We fail, we endeavor, and we exist.

How should it be? What makes it best for the sum of the parts, the whole? Communication of the message "I am hurting" needs to be heard. Volunteering the offer "What can I do to help?" needs to be accepted.

We all have limitations. Let's try to appreciate diversity and work together with efficiency and gratitude.

What can you do when your child is in trouble?

We genuinely want caregivers to know we appreciate what you are doing, we weep for you, and we will help in any way that we can.

I think I can speak for all of us when I say "hang in there, it'll get better."

I can only imagine what philanthropy is like. It must be a unique pleasure to work with a philanthropist. A cancer diagnosis is devastating. What a wonderful response to share the means for inspiring others in their state of shock.

All I ever hear about support groups for men is how they get discontinued because the lack of involvement does not warrant continuation of the group. What a misconception this is and what a sad reality to perpetuate.

You have heard "There's no such thing as a free lunch." Everybody knows there's a catch. "What's in it for me? What do I need to do to get (the prize)? How much time do I have to commit?" You've got your own assortment of male volunteers. Most likely each of them has a reason, a purpose for doing what they do.

Think about volunteering this way: If we give you a free tool (CMfM) will you donate a period of time (say 6-8 months) to be part of a core team for a caregiver support program (ITN)?

You've got to see that most men in caregiver roles don't have the resources to commit for projects outside their immediate concerns.

What would a philanthropist do? We're waiting for the dollyed-up manual.

I trust everyone celebrated a relaxing Halloween evening and then slept a peaceful night, with a full moon and an enchanted reality.

I trust people who believe that caregiving with all its difficulties— it will never happen to them (immune, as they might be)—were content to imagine ghouls, ghosts, and goblins to visit them from a fairy tale land, ring their doorbells, collect fares for passage, and then slip away mysteriously into the night.

I trust people, with hearts set on giving care to care receivers and with heads firmly rooted in the present, kept vigilant eyes and watched for other signs, waiting on more demands while wondering how to meet needs without support.

 

I trust people in leadership roles gave their all to create caregiver support for men and women but were unable to generate interest for men because one size of caregiver costume does not fit all.

 

I trust we will not need a better system next Halloween too. I hope the leaders will adopt the ITN concept (collaboration) and share their successes. I pray the men and women will finally wake up and realize we’ve got to help each other.

Thank God we've only got minor things to worry about.

Emotional awareness is that part of us that says "this sucks" but goes ahead and does the right thing. The easiest thing to do would be run away and hide, pretend it's someone's responsibility (besides your own), check out, log off, cut losses, and give up.

Emotional awareness can arrive anytime. Perhaps you finally "get it" after an innocence is lost or a loved one fails.

Emotional awareness seeks ending a feud with God. "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth...", the law, and other meters of justice obstruct the personal investment it takes to bring peace; emotional awareness removes impediments to caregiving.

It's never going to get any better if we aren't willing to try something different.

Do you deal well with change? The basic layout of MLBerg's Caregiver blog is fairly constant. The entries are regular and original. This format blends the impact of old and new. Archival pages can be accessed via links. Some text gets revised, removed, and replaced. This is the only way I know of to address past, present, and future caregiving concerns.

These are five things I hope for the people I love:

1. The cancers will never control our lives.

2. The unrest will reach peaceful resolutions.

3. Our children will grow and embrace the world.

4. Our parents will find rest.

5. I will become a better caregiver.

What is your take on zombies? Fairly ambivalent, especially since they only exist on an imaginary plane.

But how about loved ones or persons you despise? It is safe to say "I have strong feelings" regarding people who make a difference and have an influence (positive or negative) on the way I experience life.

I've never met a zombie I did or did not like. I have known individuals and groups that create in me a zest for living.

If you can, get out of your zombie rolls, put on some zest, forget about diseases for a while and have some fun. Your care receiver may appreciate the improvement.

MLBerg's Caregiver blog is a resource.

****www.mlberg.spaces.live.com*****
www.mlberg.spaces.live.com

****<eMail MLBerg>***
mlberg@everestkc.net or
****<eMail MLBerg>***
mlberg.caregiver.blog@gmail.com

Why don't typical support groups for the caregiving man generate enough interest to sustain participants? Ask yourself, "What is the focus of the group?" Education about specific illnesses and diseases is great but these may not be the support men are looking for.

Look at the tagline of MLBerg's Caregiver blog. Ask yourself, "Who is the focus of the blog?" Clearly we are on a mission.

• Endorse Caregiving Principles.
• Empower Individual Caregivers.
• Encourage Enriched Care Delivery.

The best that we can offer you is the realization we are not alone. We can't take everything back, undo anything, or make something go away.

Perhaps you have already realized your destiny and you just want some companionship. Nobody can make somebody "be there" for you.

You may ask, "What's your point?" MLBerg's Caregiver blog is just that: a point in time and space. We are pilgrims on a journey, starting from different locations and headed to different places. All travelers must pass through the reality of giving care.

Some people cannot keep hula hoops in suspense. I am one of them. It should come as no surprise that I have a stigma about doing "Elvis" hip gyrations in dance class. Finally I realized the moves are part of a routine that is here to stay. I decided to look at them for fun rather than as an exercise in futility.

Q. What do you call a hula hoop with a nail it?

A. A naval destroyer.

Q. What do you get when you cross a hula hoop with a steam roller?

What can I say. You're dying outside. I'm dying inside.
I've never been so lost or alone or afraid. We're dying.

A caregiver must have a giving attitude.

When I was a kid I heard the adage "Birds of a feather flock together." If you want to become a better caregiver, start hanging out with other good caregivers. This means old guys - those long of tooth - need to be available to (us) young guys. This means young guys - those newly indoctrinated to caregiving - need to be receptive to the wisdom of (us) old guys.

Caregiving demands a lot. The ITN program combines structure with flexibility and asks you only to abandon entitlement attitudes as we prepare to fly!