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The Way I See It Larry Thornton The News That Matters Host
BEING A CAREGIVER
Most older individuals want to stay in their own homes when they need help. With physical, mental, or emotional challenges, we slow greatly with age. Many fear being placed in a “nursing facility ” and forgotten. To most, our own home is like a safety net. We find comfort in living out our lives in our own homes.
Being a caregiver has many duties and responsibilities such as: Personal care: hygiene, bathing, dressing, eating, and toileting Providing companionship and comfort Health care: managing medications, monitoring vitals, wound care, or even changing catheter bags Coordinating or arranging for supplemental or additional care Scheduling and escorting appointments Shopping and running errands Housekeeping and pet care Planning and preparing meals Managing finances and paying bills Arranging home maintenance Not all of the above are required on each and every patient, however, many are. That is why in my previous column, I emphasized that the entire family be involved with both the planning and the care.
Safety is a big issue, especially if the family member has Dementia or Alzheimers. Locked electronic medical dispensers restrict access beyond the individual doses at the appropriate time. Both my mother and mother-in-law had problems with medications. Also, to keep the wandering at home, install deadbolts on all doors to make it difficult to access the outside without assistance. In addition, consider stoves that have automatic shut-offs and anti-scald features that limit water temperatures. Smoke alarms near the kitchen are a must.
If there is a landline phone in the house, consider an alert necklace or bracelet. This notifies a service that help is needed. It saved my mother’s life one time. If someone in the home has an Apple cell phone, get an Apple watch. It has excellent communication abilities, fall detection, and GPS tracking. I personally have this for monitoring my heart due to A-fib. However, if I fall, it detects the fall and asks me if I am OK. If I say no or fail to respond after one minute, it contacts 911 services and they find me by the GPS inside of my watch.
The AARP recently reported on a current study showing most caregivers lack adequate support to properly care for their loved ones. This worsens the mental and physical toll on the 8 million caregivers in the United States. Again, this is why I previously emphasized why caregivers cannot do it alone. Besides family, there are numerous services available to help. Research all available assistance in your community if this situation with a loved one arises. There is help out there so don’t be afraid to ask. Always remember, as a caregiver, it is an honor and a privilege to give back to those who gave so much to you.
- Larry
The News That Matters Podcast Co-ho
Kid's Corner
FULFILLMENT
Lyla Belle King is the youngest reporter on staff at The Missions Tribune.
She writes in each edition about life through the eyes a young devout
Christian girl. She sets an example of how to always stand for Christ - no matter what!
Hello, Kid’s Corner! How are you? How has your summer been so far? I hope you are all doing wonderfully and staying safe! Today I would like to talk to you about fulfillment. This is a very broad topic but specifically, I want to talk about where we can find fulfillment. And ultimately that is with God. We cannot find true, lasting fulfillment in worldly things. Sometimes it’s easy to think that we have to have something. And we put our worldly wishes above our relationship with God. I have had times when I was so obsessed with what I wanted that I didn’t realize the ways God has already blessed me. We have all put things like clothes, objects, and money above God. A lot of the time people get blindsided by their wants that they can’t see what really matters. When we pass, we are not going to bring our things with us. This is perfectly okay because God has created the most amazing heaven that we can spend eternity in if we believe in Jesus. However, if we are always searching for something that isn’t God, we will never be happy on earth. To know God is to know joy because he is where it stems from. Yes, it is nice to get something new that you want but that happiness only lasts for moments. This is why I’m saying we can’t find true happiness in objects. Or any other worldly things. Things that take away from our relationship with God. I also find that if I am in a state of wanting a lot of different things I’m not really in a good mood. That’s because I’m not appreciating the things I have; I have put it in my head that I can only be happy once I get those things. But as the Bible says in Colossians 3:2, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Thank you so much for reading this edition of Kid’s Corner! Wanting things that will not matter when we get to Heaven has definitely been something I’ve struggled with but when I notice that from here on out, I’m going to combat it with thankfulness for everything God has given me. Which is everything. I hope all of you wonderful readers have a great rest of your week! Say a prayer of thankfulness today! Jesus loves you! This is Lyla Belle signing out.
Heart 2 Heart Moment…
Purpose
As we Faith Walk today, Purpose is on my heart. Purpose, the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. No matter what stage of life you may find yourself in at this present time, purpose is something we all contemplate at times throughout our lives. It’s a quest, one that we will be on for a lifetime. Discovery of our purpose can consume a great part of our quest. Why do we exist? Why was I created? What am I supposed to be doing with my time on earth? Questions that seem to only lead to more questions. In asking those all too familiar questions, we find ourselves left still empty-handed. Left feeling like we will never know or find the answers to our questions. To fully know what and why you are alive, we have to check with the manufacturer. That for us is the creator of the universe and everything that has and does exist on or in it. He (God) has a divine purpose for each one of us. He made no mistakes in creating you and me. God was purposeful, intentional with all of his creations. We all were created on purpose. You are not a mistake! God had you in mind, yes you when he made you. Not only that, he was intentional with every part of who you are, all of us were created with purpose. God knows every hair on our heads, knows our every thought. He didn’t stop there; you are created for a purpose. God has a specific purpose for your life, an assignment that he has just for you to complete during your lifetime. In order to truly discover all of who we are and who we are meant to be, we have to stop looking in all the wrong places. Stop looking at people and turn our focus toward God. I know this is heavy and a lot to take digest in these few words, but think of it from this standpoint. When we really want to know how something works we read the manual that gives full details of the creation we seek to understand. God to has provided a manual, it’s called the bible. It’s to explain and accompany his creation throughout this journey called life. From My Heart 2 Yours, Danielle S. Washington
