Author Archives: Ardella

An entry I made in the journal I’d kept during my mother’s journey with Alzheimer’s related to an unraveling of relationships in our family. Although I hadn’t recorded the actual issues, the implications were that I was irritated at siblings that I felt could be doing more to help care for our mother. Even thoughContinue reading “Mend the Rifts”

I get totally frustrated when my computer monitor is completely black – indicating that the computer may not be working. The frustration is multiplied when there is something I need to get done immediately. When this happened recently, I went through all the checks: everything was plugged in, the power was on, and I replacedContinue reading “Check Your Power”

Valentine’s Day usually focuses on relationships between couples, so anyone who is not a part of a couple may feel slighted.  This year, however, let’s shift our focus to the love that exists within families. More specifically, let’s think about and appreciate the love a caregiver shows to someone in the family who may orContinue reading “Shift Your Focus”

I used to love smorgasbords until I realized how much they helped me overeat. Of course, I also noticed others who loaded up their plates and couldn’t eat all they had. As the idiom says, perhaps their eyes were bigger than their stomach. In other words, those with wasted food at the smorgasbord thought theyContinue reading “Take Something Off Your Plate”

Your Turn: What’s one thing you will do to “be with” your loved one?

“Here your glasses are, Ms. Perry.” Another student would have located the eyeglasses I had left someplace as I walked around the classroom and stopped to see something written on the blackboard. Constantly having to take my glasses off let me know it was time for a change. History says that Benjamin Franklin invented bifocalsContinue reading “PUT ON YOUR BIFOCALS”

When I first began my role as a caregiver, a dear colleague gave me advice that turned out to be a tremendous help. Marti had been the primary caregiver and guardian of a relative for many years. Her advice was to carry my mother’s medical records with me at all times and to keep themContinue reading “Share a Resource”

When this slang expression was started nearly 20 years ago, it meant that you were moving too fast, and you needed to slow down before you got into trouble. I’d like to use it to mean you need to step back, breathe, and reflect. What better thing to do as we look forward to theContinue reading “Slow Your Roll”

This morning one of my nieces asked for input on her logo. Businesses use logos to identify their brand or their image. It started me thinking about the need for personal logos, which would be mottos. A motto is defined as a short sentence or phrase that summarizes the beliefs or ideals that guide you,Continue reading “Come Up with a Motto”