Blogging 2012
For anyone following this blog, I apologize for falling off the rails the past couple months. The chaotic feast or famine nature of caregiving and the fact that I seem to have cluttered up our website with a widget that lists all of the blogs are the top hang-ups. We are trying as a team to get that widget thing cleared up before 2012. (Done! Thanks Bekki)
For 2012, I am planning to post these blogs twice a month, on the 1st and 15th of the month. I have been writing entries of 500 words. As a writer, I find the puzzle of that word count to be a good practice. I have a pile of stories to share. The short story below about Betsy and Sammy was written for Home Care Association of Washington, (although they did not use it for their calendar, they might post it on their website: www.hcaw.org.)
At Circle of Life Caregiver Cooperative, a lot of exciting things are happening. We are getting ready to celebrate our third anniversary with a profit, and patronage dividends for our workers! We’ve noticed that national leaders (Congress and President Obama) are working on our issues (support for co-op businesses and caregiver pay.) Articles in Winter 2012 newsletter, on our website. Links to information on those topics:
www.campaign.coop to download and read the National Cooperative Development Act of 2011.
www.directcarealliance.org The Direct Care Alliance is the national advocacy voice of direct care workers in long-term care.
Betsy and Sammy
We sometimes serve two clients in one household, and we are happy to help families in that way. Last spring, we worked with a unique family: Betsy and Sammy. Sammy, Betsy’s cat, was the main reason she was so keen to get home after months of recovering from a broken hip at a local rehab facility.
Although she’d worked hard at physical therapy, Betsy wasn’t strong enough to walk alone. She had COPD, and full time oxygen. Six caregivers provided round-the-clock support to Betsy. We monitored her safety, helping with showers and dressing. We did the cooking, cleaning, and shopping. We worked with the rehab facility to arrange her discharge. We kept her calendar organized, coordinating her care with a nursing agency, physical and occupational therapists, physicians, the pharmacy, para-transit, and Betsy’s friends. Betsy and Sammy were happy, safe, and together.
Betsy’s first night home was rough. Exhausted, she coughed a lot. Sammy climbed up onto her bed and stayed all night. He napped, she coughed, he woke. She talked and he purred. She napped, he prowled, she coughed. They were thrilled to be together. After that first night, they slept well, with Sammy curled up next to Betsy. Night or day, Sammy was never far from Betsy.
After six weeks, Betsy had a health emergency. Our caregivers facilitated the emergency hospital admission, remaining with Betsy several days until her POA arrived. We visited Sammy while Betsy was hospitalized, because Sammy’s well-being was Betsy’s passion and part of our job.