Pages






Most
Recent Posts

Alzheimer's Service Missionary

Some of you may already know that I have recently been called to be a Service Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  My specific area for service is helping the local Alzheimer's Association.  One of my main areas of focus is helping people learn how to care for themselves while being a Caregiver for a loved one with Alzheimer's or related illnesses.


Some of the main concerns Caregivers have are:



 Information about available resources
Financial solutions
 Communicating with professionals
 Disease specific information
 Recruiting competent help
Learning care tasks
How to communicate with persons with dementia
     Legal advice  

As a volunteer Service Missionary, I will be helping Caregivers learn about these areas of concern.  Since I'm just starting out, I'm not sure exactly how, what, or when I'll be helping, but I'm being trained and will be glad to serve wherever needed!

Ali, from Standing For Something invited me to do an article about being a Service Missionary and the Alzheimer's Association.  I invite you to visit her site and let her know you're visiting from Rise Above Your Limits..... HERE is a direct link to my article.  I'm so thankful to Ali sharing for this with her readers.

One of my goals is to write informative Alzheimer's articles for my blog and also for wikiMommy.com.  Often Mommy's find themselves being Caregivers to their own Mommy's and Daddy's.  I want to be able to help ease their burden by sharing and teaching them ways to care for themselves while caring for their parents.




Sources:
http://www.alz.org/ 

      
Photobucket

23 comments:

  1. What an importand job that is,... well one of your jobs. I love the fact that you are helping the caregivers. They have it really rough taking care of those with Alzheimers and also other ilnesses.

    https://twitter.com/#!/CandidaJourney/status/164681846322499584

    ReplyDelete
  2. My mom died of Alzheimers. I know people dread the word, "cancer" and that is understandable. Until you have to deal with losing someone you love, even though their body still exists. I lost my mom years before she physically passed away. She didn't know me, didn't remember if she'd eaten, couldn't tell when she had to go to the bathroom, and couldn't dress herself. To me, Alzheimers is the most horrible disease we face for there is no hope for a cure.At least not yet. The worst part for the caregiver is the heart-pain of not being able to converse with your mom while caring for her. I don't think I'll ever get over seeing a loved one fade away to that disease.

    ReplyDelete
  3. @Candida, I agree!

    @Sandy, so sorry for what you and your Mom had to go through. Not being remembered by the one who gave you life and raised you would be such a heart breaking experience. Thank you for sharing your feelings and thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is so wonderful that you are getting involved in this. As an RN working with the elderly population I have cared for many patients with Alzheimer's. It is a heart breaking situation and the family/caregivers need a lot of support. So glad to hear you are providing it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My grandmother had Alzheimer's and died of it. We brought her here, and it was one of the saddest experiences of my life. We ARE our memories...you are doing a wonderful thing, the caregivers are lost and don't really have the time to take care of themselves. A caregiver can also lose the ability to think objectively after awhile.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh Becky where were you 28 years ago when both my Grandpa and Grandma had Alzheimers; at the same time. That was such a struggle on our family; I wish we would have had a service mission for the Alzheimers association back then!

    I can't wait to read more of these articles, as this is a point of great concern for my family as my mother is slowly showing signs of possible beginning stages.

    ReplyDelete
  7. My Grandma has Alzheimer's. My Grandpa took care of her for the longest time. It really gets hard. She finally had to go to a home when she ran away, while he was in the shower. She took off with one of her slippers one one foot and one of his shoes on the other foot. He tried going after her and couldn't find his other shoe. Someone that couldn't speak English found her on the ground. She had a broken hand. :( It was then that she was moved to a home. It is so sad. I miss the Grandma I used to know.

    Even when she first got Alzheimer's, she was great with my kids. They said she was their best friend. Now they are afraid to go see her. :(

    ReplyDelete
  8. what an awesome privilege and opportunity to serve others in such need....I will be lifting you up in prayer my friend...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good luck. I am sure you will gain much more then you give.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you so much for your service. I have 2 family members that are struggling with this, and it is good to know they have advocates who share the information and is willing to help! Following from Voiceboks, HodgePodge group!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good luck and I know you will do a great job.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a wonderful and precious gift you will be giving. You are one awesome person!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Becky Jane, I have several really helpful books concerning Alzheimers. If you would like to have them, let me know and I'll mail them to you. Just send me your address via my personal email at grandmakeith@gmail.com. I have The 36 Hour Day, which is how long a day feels when you are the caregiver to a demented person. It is filled with info on how to understand the patient. I found it a blessing to have all the knowledge in that book. It is one of the books you may be required to read in your new service. Don't buy it because I'll just give it to you.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is such a fantastic thing for you to do. As many other commenters have shared, having someone in your family fade right in front of you is heartbreaking. I remember my grandfather sobbing on his bed from the devastation of seeing his beloved wife disappear while her physical body endured. That was 15 years ago and it's so great to see this and other organizations making a push for education and support! God bless you, Becky Jane!

    ReplyDelete
  15. You are so kind hearted to take on this challenging volunteer position! What a challenge Alzheimers is to families! My grandfather had Parkinson's and my grandmother needed so much support. What a wonderful effort!

    ReplyDelete
  16. All of your comments have meant a great deal to me. They show that what I'm doing will bless others lives as well as my own. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  17. @Sandy, I'll get in touch with you about your sweet offer! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  18. You've got a big heart, what a privilege to even know you :) I know several people (family) who suffer from Alzheimer's so this is a wonderful thing you doing. Thanks so much for your community help for others!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Becky, what a beautiful calling you have. Alzheimer's is something that my husband has had in his family and he's most freaked about having to potentially deal with for himself as he ages. That's one of the reasons he's such an information junkie. He's so afraid of getting the disease that he challenges his mind every single day. I can just imagine how awful the families must feel. Praying for you as you continue this calling to serve God's people.

    Blessings,
    ~Rosann

    ReplyDelete
  20. Becky Jane, this is so generous of you:) I'm looking forward to all of your informative articles on this subject. It's one that touches most of us.

    ReplyDelete
  21. What a big responsibility! You're pretty amazing to take this on in addition to the responsibilities you already have! :)It terrifies me to think that one day I might not know my own children, and it's good to know that there are people who look to serve others in this area.

    ReplyDelete
  22. What a noble thing it is you are doing Becky :) Good luck with everything and thank you for sharing this with us.

    Love,
    Anne

    ReplyDelete
  23. Blessings, Becky! You will be such an encouragement to these people.
    Love,
    Lisa

    ReplyDelete

Due to spam, Anonymous comments will not be posted.