Blog #1 in the Soothing Series: Gentle ways to regain your composure and find some inner peace How do caring for birds and contemplative practices overlap? With Zen cords! What a lovely win-win! Here’s the […]
Author: Gale Lyman
by Gale Lyman, RN, BSN, HNB-BC. An estimated 44 million Americans are family caregivers (NAC & AARP, 2015), dedicated to caring for their loved ones. When caregiving is done, many would describe it as a […]
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% […]
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 […]
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 […]
“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 […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
“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 […]
Time to reflect is often missing from a fast pace lifestyle. Yet without reflection, self-awareness and conscious decision making slip by the wayside. Reflection is an opportunity to stop and think. With practice your reflective […]
Dementia can be distressing to residents experiencing it as well as to their caregivers. While you can’t know what having dementia is like without the personal experience, and who wants that, you can often see […]
“Your hands are so warm; they feel so good. It feels soft. I feel good all over!” What’s this? In a long term care center? It’s Reiki! At Mary Immaculate Nursing/Restorative Care Center, Inc. in […]
Calm and centered caregiver series Family caregivers, do you need someone to substitute for you? If you take care of a loved one who cannot care for themselves, ‘respite’ is the official name […]
Family caregivers, do you find it difficult to be calm and centered? Do you have frantic caregiving days when you can’t even take a shower? On the days when it is most difficult to be calm, that’s when you most need a chance to center yourself. Catch your breath!
The Calm and Centered Caregiver series Family caregivers, when’s the last time you had a vacation? Is that even a legitimate idea – a vacation from family caregiving? It absolutely is, and […]
Calm and centered caregiver series Family caregivers, do you need a break? Your dedication to your loved one is amazing, and caregiving is rewarding. But perhaps you are feeling restless, irritable, oversensitive, anxious, […]
Drumming is cultural, spiritual, playful, and healing. What an extraordinary statement from a child of the 1970’s. For me, the word “drumming’ used to evoke memories of rock and roll drum solos; the outcome of […]