Navigating the Holidays as a Caregiver: Maintaining Structure and Wellness
Caregiver Support: Redefining Thoughts and Regaining Your Power
November is National Family Caregivers Month which is a time to recognize and honor caregivers while raising awareness of caregiving issues. We took some time with Crystal Carnahan, a certified life coach, who focuses on helping women prioritize themselves to expand into more joyful living, to talk about mindset in caregiving.
Transitioning to the New School Year
If you have a school-age survivor and you are in the beginning weeks of school or preparing for the start, transitioning to a new year can be daunting task. We enlisted the advice of Katy Bosserman, a special education advocate, on preparing your child and working with the IEP team. Watch this video and check out some great tips and resources to help navigate the beginning of the 2021/22 school year.
Honoring Caregivers in November
On October 30, 2020, the White House issued a proclamation that November 2020 is National Caregivers Month, in recognition of the import role of caregivers, stating that “America’s heroes have earned and deserve our respect and gratitude, and their caregivers deserve the same.”
Medical Monday: An Inspiring Story of Mom Advocacy
Today’s Medical Monday highlights a recent podcast produced by RAWF board member and mom-advocate Eugenie Hsu who interviews Maria Picone of TREND.
Compassion Fatigue and Caregiving – A Professional and Personal Perspective
Last week, we discussed the subject of compassion fatigue in the healthcare industry with Jessica Dale, a parent of a brain tumor survivor or “brain tumor mom” and expert on the subject.
This week, we discussed her personal experience as a parent of a child, that is now a young adult, survivor of a pediatric brain tumor. We asked for tips on how to avoid pitfalls that families of children and adolescents with special health care needs face.
Medical Monday: Understanding Compassion Fatigue
Have you run into a doctor that just seemed to not care? Maybe you felt rushed, received difficult news in a less than empathetic manner or felt like you just aren’t being heard. What you could be experiencing is healthcare compassion fatigue. It is a mental health situation that occurs in healthcare providers in clinical settings to caregivers of loved ones with chronic conditions or special needs. It is a subject worth exploring both in how to manage it in a caregiver role and how to handle a situation where a healthcare professional just seems to lack interest while we are desperate for solutions.
Blessings
Three years ago today life changed for my son, Alex. In a matter of 24 hours, his life journey took a major turn from being a typical 4-year-old boy doing typical 4-year old boy things to a child that would face of lifetime of medical, emotional and physical challenges. We woke up this very morning three years ago the same as we always do, business as usual, but with one little telltale sign that landed him in an MRI hours later and emergency brain surgery the next day.
