Hello and Welcome!
I am sooooo glad you are here! 🎵🎄💝🌞☕
– Judy Shone –
A caregiver is anyone who helps carry the burdens for those who can no longer manage on their own.
Q: Are you an informal, unpaid caregiver, a family member? a spouse? partner? friend or neighbour? or caregiver support?
Q: Are you a professional caregiver, or trained in the field of caring for others ?
Q: Is your loved one’s need for care related to memory loss?
Q: Do you want to learn more about the world of caregiving from those who have lived it, the caregiver’s point of view?
A: If yes, then this caregiver-focused site, with caregiver written stories, articles and guest authors, is especially for you.
THE INTENTION and HOPE of this site:
…to help others understand the caregiving life of caregivers of those with memory loss;
…to connect with the hearts and minds of caregivers walking an unfamiliar path;
…to be support for caregivers managing their own life while caring for another;
…to encourage others to reach out as reassurance so no one feels alone.
See what’s here on the ABOUT page
GOOD NEWS!
Learning from other caregivers makes caregiving interactions easier.
“Sometimes your caregiver stories find their way into my life at just the moments I need them.” ~ Carla S., caregiver, blog visitor
“I am wanting to encourage and be a support for our caregivers and your site is a heaven sent tool. Thank you” ~ Bea R., blog visitor working in senior homecare
One of the most important things we can do for all caregivers, as well as for ourselves,
is to let them know they are not alone.
When you see the social media icons on a page, you can click one and a link to that page will appear in your own social media page as a post. This helps you share information that might help other caregivers. Thank you.
Since becoming a caregiver, I have learned that caregivers:
display the bravery of gladiators,
possess the natural ability of geniuses,
draw upon the wisdom of sages,
borrow magic from wizards,
hold hands with angels,
confirm the selflessness of parents,
are gifted with shoulders ofAtlas,
and are so busy caring for their loved one that they don’t realize
they need to take time to smile, because if you smile, you cannot frown!!
Caregivers are God’s treasures in the universe.
————————————————-Judy 🤗
“Stories break through into the heart space.”
Walking Each Other Home, by
Ram Dass & Mirabai Bush
See what’s here on the ABOUT page
WALK WITH CAREGIVERS
The author and
her loved one
When I first became a caregiver, I did not find information as available as it is now, nearly ten years later. I hope we can provide the help I wish I had had.
I invite you to walk with me and my guest authors who reveal joys and sorrows from their personal caregiving experiences.
We all share in the hopes that you will find something new and meaningful that you can take away to use or share on your journey.
Although we may never meet in person, I still hope you will let these words shine a light on your path.
Do not feel alone … contact me !
💖 We look forward to seeing you walking beside us. 💖
Leave a note 😊 at the end of any page
if you are so inspired or moved…
It’s fun for readers to discover other caregivers!
Thank you! 💖
Technical note: It makes sense to reboot your page(with cursor in URL address field, press ‘enter”) when visiting a site to be sure you are getting the most recent version-information-updates instead of the page that was cached last time you visited.
I do this for all sites
READ OUR CAREGIVER-WRITTEN STORIES
We know from childhood that we learn from stories. We know we tell our stories to help others understand us and our lives, and often, their lives.
In that same way, I hope our stories will:
1. help broaden the knowledge base for a caregiver’s toolbox, and
2. help guide those who, by choice, support them.
The authors of these stories include caregivers who stepped up to, or fell into, the role of caring for loved ones with memory loss. Those who care—family members, friends, professional or untrained—who encourage and support caregivers.
For caregivers, the phrase, “reading is seeing by proxy,” spoken in the late 1800s by philosopher, Herbert Spencer, reminds us that we cannot learn everything by doing it ourselves, so it is helpful when we learn from others.
See what’s here on the ABOUT page
HEAR & SEE
a video moderated by Alzheimer Society Hamilton Halton and produced by Halton Hills Public Library
“A Conversation for Caregivers with Judy Shone”
“This is soooooo worth the listen! Totally “my story” thank you “
~ Linda Stock, Facebook comment.
Also, read the Oakville Beaver/InsideHalton press release about the video.
Put your arms around your shoulders and squeeze…that’s a bear hug from me. -jas
Annie B and Archie Bear are the source of bears and bear hugs associated with these books seen on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
When you see a bear, feel the hugs from Annie B and Archie and me!! 💕
Judith Allen Shone
SHARE THE BLOG LINK
Do not wait. You can be the one who responds to a caregiver’s plea, the one who reaches out with encouragement to a caregiver who needs your friendship. You’ll know the one.
It feels good to discover others have been angry or sad, felt similar guilt, made the same mistakes and wondered about the same unanswered questions. Let them know it is OK!
Accepting the Gift of Caregiving is not just the name of a blogsite and is not just the name of the book series of my journey. Acceptance is a process that many caregivers go through by the caring experiences we live, from the desperation, and sometimes even the despondency, we feel until we reach awareness, insight and understanding and eventually acceptance. It is not an easy journey.
My purpose in writing Accepting the Gift of Caregiving blogsite and books is to be support and encouragement as caregivers make their way from that desperation to acceptance, from anxieties to courage.
Do something each day to make others smile and your heart sing.
“Where Caregivers are Encouraging One Another”, December 18, 2019 © Judith Allen Shone, updated regularly
“Accepting the Gift of Caregiving” blog Copyright © 2019 Judith Allen Shone
See what’s here on the ABOUT page
“I want to touch the heart of the world and make it smile.“
Charles de Lint
DO YOU UNDERSTAND the caregiver’s life?
Do you yearn to feel encouragement and support?
Those who do, will resonate with the shared experiences, both here and in the two books.
Accepting the Gift of Caregiving
Is There Any Ice Cream?
Did You Hide The Cookies?
A REMINDER before you go, these stories are copyrighted with all rights reserved. If you choose to copy any words from this site, for education purposes, for your school project, for sharing with other caregivers, for inclusion in a speech, please, please honor the rights of authors, as you wish to be honored and include the author’s name, mine or the guest, the article name and the date, the name and link of this blog. THANK YOU.
NOTE OF THANKS TO ARTISTS
All illustrations for book cover, the lilacs, and the illustrations for the Caregiver Feels, Caregiver Tips and Sharing Our Knowledge lead images were co-created and adapted from artwork from talented artist, ©Tatiana Mitrushova, with license from fotolia.com.Visit her site, @MitrushovaArt on Etsy. The cone of the book cover original by Jiri Hera, with license from dreamstime.com
A Canadian artist Luciana Silva from Pixabay has created many lovely watercolour flowers shown on Caregiver Tips and other pages on this site. Click on link lucianapappdesign to see her artwork..
Many of the graphic images in this site are from Pexels.com and Pixabay.com. We are grateful to the creators, photographers, illustrators and artists for permission to use them.
Header logo image by the author, Judith Allen Shone
Photo credits: Many photos on this site are from Pixabay.com.
Children reading
Hugging bears
Holiday bear
Couples
———————-
Once on the page, go to your province and location
to FIND OUT MORE about the
WALK FOR ALZHEIMER’S May 30, 2021
In Halton area of Ontario, phone the Alzheimer Society:
Halton 289-837-2310
Hamilton 905-529-7030
Alzheimer Society Brant, Haldimand Norfolk, Hamilton Halton website
See also Related Links & Resources for more office locations
I have been a caregiver most of my life. Starting at age 12.
Thank you for visiting our stories, Donna. Your expertise is a value to the world of caregivers. I hope you will consider sharing a short story here. 🙂