The Peanut Butter Cookie Plan

Back when I was working in Public Health, I had a success story. Actually, my patient had a success story. She was pregnant and was on WIC (Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program). Like many teenagers, she didn’t understand personal responsibility. But she seemed to enjoy talking to me. I was talking to her about her WIC foods and how to use them. She complained that she couldn’t use up her peanut butter allotment each month. Out of the blue, I blurted out, “Make peanut butter cookies for your family and friends.” I’m sure she initially thought I was crazy, because she said, “Whaaaaat?” So, I said I’d bring a recipe for peanut butter cookies to her next prenatal visit.

Next visit, I provided the simplest recipe for peanut butter cookies that I could find:

The Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter	2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup crunchy peanut butter*	1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup white sugar	½ teaspoon salt
1 cup packaged brown sugar	1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs*

1. Cream the sugars together with the butter, and peanut butter.
2. Beat in eggs
3. In a fresh bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture.
4. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour
5. Form dough into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.
6. Flatten each ball with a fork. Make a criss-cross pattern on the cookie.
7. Bake in a pre-heated 375 deg F oven until cookies begin to brown (about 10 minutes)

* WIC ingredients

I had to explain a lot about cooking, and I made handwritten notes on the page to help her out. I wasn’t going to be with her when she made her first batch, so I wanted to give her all the help I could.

At her next prenatal visit, she was ecstatic – she had made a batch of cookies for her family, then made another batch for her friends. Then she made anOTHER batch for her friends. She used this experience as the basis for a paper in school. She received a B+ on it (some points were taken off for spelling and grammar). Next, she invited a couple of pregnant friends over and taught them how to make the cookies.

Notice: I only provided the initial recipe. She is the one who took off with it!

She now wanted another recipe for how to use her WIC foods, so I pulled out a pamphlet that the USDA had put out. It had 3 or 4 more recipes for different things. She learned to make some egg recipes (egg salad, deviled eggs, fried eggs, french toast, and scrambled eggs). She also learned to make carrot bread and apple crisp. We kept things simple from the beginning. But she was eager to learn more, so we added homemade coleslaw, fruit salad, chicken and rice casserole, and several other dishes. Her mother began coming to the prenatal clinic with her so she could learn, too.

By the time the baby (a pretty little girl) was born, I was holding cooking classes for pregnant teens and their families!

All good things come to an end, and I was transferred out of that clinic to another in a neighboring county. I ran into one of the other nurses from the original clinic and was told that the original teen was holding the cooking classes on a weekly basis. She was planning to go to the local junior college, and ultimately planned to go into nutrition and food sciences.

I will admit, however, this was one of only 3 “successes” among my prenatal patients. I’m sure more patients were “successes” across the state, but it isn’t something that is frequent. I don’t know if the patient at hand ever went to school, but I hope so. She was a real “go-getter.” I wish her well every time my husband bakes “his” peanut butter cookies for us.

 

5 Easy Assists in the Bedroom

Why is it that I continually find assists for the kitchen and seldom find any for the rest of the house? Today I’m considering what I do in the bedroom in terms of assisting my disabilities.

1. Shoes, not slippers by the bed. I seldom wear what others would consider slippers. I wear Crocs. They are the only shoes that are easy to get into and cushion my feet. Frequently I wear them around the house all day. It isn’t until I go out that I put on my “aerobic shoes.”
2. Keep as much by the bed as you can. Keep any of the small things you use frequently [nasal spray, dry-eye drops, emery board, book(s), tissues, night-time meds, etc] by your bed. This will reduce the number of times you have to get out of bed overnight.
3. If you wear splints or compression gloves – set them out before you go to bed so you won’t forget them. (Yes, I have gleefully forgotten my compression gloves and not worn them, only to wake up needing them and having to seek them out.)
4. Heat and Cold. I don’t respond well to cold packs when I’m in pain at night. My joints have never, ever, responded to cold packs. The only thing that responds to cold on my body is my eyes after an injection for my macular degeneration. [They need to make pills for that!] There are heat and cold packs available at your local pharmacy that can be activated by peeling off a backing or by pressing on a valve. I find it helpful to have one of the heat packs stashed near my bed.
5.  Pillows and More Pillows! I find I need various differently sized and shaped pillows in bed with me or near enough I can reach it during the night. I find medium and large sized Plush toys are of great help (thank you, RA Warrior!). I also use different sized and different softness “dog-bone” pillows. I must have 20 of them around the house, but I do have 6 of them in or near my side of the bed. Thank goodness we have a King-sized bed!

I hope you get some ideas of your own from these suggestions. Please share in the comments!

My Sister-in-Law Died Recently

She had been dealing with Rheumatoid Arthritis for over 15 years. She had many of the complications known to affect RA patients. There are so many of them that most people don’t know or realize!

In addition to the joint degeneration, pain and swelling, there is cardiac involvement (pericarditis, congestive heart failure), lung involvement (interstitial lung disease, which leads to pulmonary fibrosis), higher prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and cardiovascular disease which involves a large spectrum of lesions, from rheumatoid vasculitis to atherosclerotic lesions.

My sister-in-law had developed many of the extra articular complications. Her heart, lungs and veins were involved. She was very brave. She went to the hospital for vascular surgery, and did not survive. No fault of the doctors. No fault to anyone. Her body was eaten up by this VILE disease, and Heaven was the only place she could find healing.

Lord have Mercy! Memory Eternal!

Coping with Disability

Words from another person who is energy deprived! Wonderful post. Posted in a blog I follow. Thank you, Rugh, and thank you hearingelmo!

Hearing Elmo

Always such a privilege and joy to welcome guest writers to “Hearing Elmo”… especially those who have made an impact on my own life! Ruth’s blog can be found at: http://foxbuds.com/default.html  

Succeeding at being functional, in spite of major disability, requires acceptance, attitude control, and accommodation. For approximately a half year, the extreme energy challenges that defines my disability took a vacation. I went from using a wheelchair to walking a mile independently. My wheelchair was actually forgotten, and it sat unused for several weeks. Feeling so energized, I worked to increase independence and exercise. Walking in a nature park; to and from the mailbox (long city block of considerable elevation grade); to and from study groups and services at church; and during shopping became frequent occurrences. Even bi-weekly lap swimming was added to the exercise mix. Restricted time limits on activity seemed to have dissolved. I came to…

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Our Friend Died from Rheumatoid Disease

A member of our local RA Support Group, and friend to all of us in the group, died last week – of complications of Rheumatoid Disease. Just like Glenn Frey did a few months ago.

She repeatedly had bronchitis through the winter, then, just as spring was in full bloom, she developed bronchitis again, but this time antibiotics didn’t help. She was hospitalized, then developed pneumonia. Two weeks later, she died.

Some would say it was complications of her medications – all those immune suppressants she was on – that were the cause of her death. But those of us who fight the same fight know: it was Rheumatoid Disease that was the cause.

Our immune systems are broken. Our immune systems have gone bezerk and are attacking our own tissues. Although the joint tissues are the most noticeable, Rheumatoid Disease affects the heart, lungs, eyes, ears, and kidneys, not to mention arteries and veins. It gives the patient overwhelming fatigue and brain fog. In fact, Airways Abnormalities May Represent Preclinical Rheumatoid Arthritis! This was an astounding piece of information to me when I first read it. Rheumatoid Disease may very well start in the lungs! [RAWarrior.com: Preclinical Rheumatoid Disease – There Are No Joints In The Lungs]

According to a recent study at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, “RA is associated with a 40 percent increased risk of death.” [RAWarrior.com: Rheumatoid Arthritis Mortality] My own mother died of complications of Rheumatoid Disease (Arthritis) after fighting the illness for 15 years. She was only 59 when she died. Her grandchildren hardly got to know her at all. She was 15 years post diagnosis.

My friend had had RD for many years, and had the deep love of her only child – a daughter, who is totally devastated. I, too, was my mother’s only child, and was devastated by her death. Due to modern treatments, I have lived longer than I expected to. But the complications of the medications and treatments are taking a serious toll. Even though they are slowing the course of the disease, they are quite capable of killing me. So I see my Rheumatologist regularly, and inbetween times I see my Primary Care doctor. Then as joints give out, I have orthopedic surgeries – two so far and a third looms on the horizon.

We MUST find a cure for this disease! It robs us of function, family, friends. It ravages children, adolescents, mothers and fathers and grandparents. It is a leading cause of disability and loss of employment – not just in the USA, but across the world.

Rest in peace, my friend. You are no longer in pain. You are no longer crippled. You are free of this VILE disease that robbed us of you. God bless you and make your Memory Eternal.

Some OTHER Rheumatoid Disease Effects

The thing most people do not understand is all the OTHER body parts affected by Rheumatoid Disease. [Arthritis is only one symptom of this condition, hence the gradual shift to calling it “Rheumatoid Disease.” Here is a non-inclusive list:

Lungs – affect the membrane lining the lungs, leading to pleuritis and fluid collection; rheumatoid nodules can form in the lungs, also.

Reduction in red blood cells = anemia.

Treatment to suppress the immune system may lead to low levels of blood platelets, a condition called thrombocytopenia.

Felty’s syndrome, a condition in which the spleen is enlarged and the white blood cell count is low in people with rheumatoid arthritis. Having Felty’s syndrome may increase the risk of lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph glands.

Rheumatoid nodules under the skin occur in 20% of patients with Rheumatoid Disease. These can occur on elbows, forearms, fingers or heels.

These nodules can occur in the heart and lungs, also. In the lungs this can lead to hemorrhage.

Rashes of the skin

In the eyes, uveitis, iritis, scleritis and episcleritis can affect vision and eye comfort.

People with Rheumatoid Disease are also susceptible to developing Sjogren’s Syndrome which leads to extreme dry eye and dry mouth.

A collection of fluid between the outer membranes of the heart and the heart muscle itself – pericardial effusion. This is life-threatening!

Pericarditis – inflammation of the membranes around the heart – is life-threatening!

We who have Rheumatoid Disease are at increased risk of heart attacks just as people with type-2 diabetes are. We are also at increased risk of stroke. This is because inflammation of the blood vessels – both veins and arteries – can occur in about 15% of patients with Rheumatoid Disease.

WebMD has lots more information and much more detail than I included here. The thing to remember is, nearly any part of your body can be affected by Rheumatoid Disease with resultant symptoms which depend upon the part of the body affected.

Rheumatoid Disease Is Different For Each Person

{RA Warrior is having a Blog Carnival to promote awareness of Rheumatoid Disease – and Rheumatoid Awareness Day [February 2 each year]! This is my entry.}

I think one of the things I was unprepared for when I developed Rheumatoid Disease (Rheumatoid Arthritis) was the fact that so many of the people I encountered in life and online had totally different experiences with the disease. It took me a long time to learn and even longer to internalize and REALIZE – Rheumatoid Disease manifests itself differently in each person!

“Some people experience constant pain; some have a series of “flares” and periods of lower disease activity. Symptoms can vary greatly from day-to-day.

“Rheumatoid Disease is different in each person — and even in the same person over time.” [Kelly Young, http://rawarrior.com/ ]

A “mild” case of rheumatoid disease is just as valid as a “moderate” or “severe” case. It was interesting to me to look at ads and see people with related autoimmune conditions who were on Biologic “X” or Biologic “G” and were doing well. I thought I was being held back because we couldn’t afford the co-pays. But there was another factor I learned about:

Even if we could have afforded for me to be on one of the then-available Biologics, there was LESS than a 35% chance that it would have worked!

My RD is different. I am seronegative and do not have a lot of the so-called “typical” manifestations (gnarly hands) of RD. Because I am seronegative, I don’t qualify for Clinical Studies.

My over-riding symptom is massive fatigue and lack of “spoons.” I have a good bit of pain, but my pain doesn’t “stay” in place – it moves about. There are things I can no longer do because of “pain,” but I try to ignore the pain. It does work part of the time. The pain differs daily – even hourly – as do my disabilities. I see people who are totally worn down and not able to do so many things that I can do. I try to remain thankful and to pray for them.

“My” Rheumatoid Disease frequently looks like this:

This is my life – but with pain superimposed. Hands, wrists, feet, ankles, knees, hips, elbows, shoulders. neck, back. But many people have more pain than I; and many have more fatigue than I.

We are all different. We each experience Rheumatoid Disease in different ways. I can no longer cut my meat; at times (like today) I can’t even cut my fried eggs into bite-sized pieces! I had to ask Himself to do that for me. He said, “Certainly!” After 38 years of marriage, 37 of them with my gradually declining abilities, he still is cheerful about helping me – dress, undress (he likes that part! 🙂 ), brush my hair (now nearly waist length), cut my steak, and so on. He still says, “Certainly!” And I get to bask in the fact of his devotion and love!

I do at least try to cut my steak (and fried eggs), I do try to get dressed and undressed by myself, and I do try to take Warrior (great name! Appropriate!) out for his “constitutionals” 2 or 3 times a day. If I cannot, Himself does it for me.

My RD may be different from others, and it may change from day-to-day or hour to hour, but it’s still RD. Yes, like the rest of those of us with Rheumatoid Disease, I AM a Warrior!

{Dear Readers – please remember to Help Kelly and Roo!}

Aid for Kelly and Roo

Many people know of the RAWarrior – Kelly Young. Fewer know that Kelly is in dire straits having had to flee her home with her 10-year-old son in order to protect him from harm. It is now the season of gift-giving, and Kelly’s uncle has set up a GoFundMe page for Kelly and Roo.

A priest of our Church wrote a blog post about gifting back in 2009. In it, he says, in part:

”

St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra in Lycia

He had been extremely wealthy, but something went terribly wrong. By the end, circumstances had become so dire, that not only had his whole business been lost, but there remained not even enough to feed his family of three daughters. In his desperation—who can imagine such desperation?—he figured that his only recourse to feed the girls was to sell them into prostitution for grocery money. No where to turn. Nothing to eat. No option.

“Most of us could hardly imagine selling our children into prostitution or slavery in order to have food to eat. Most of us, indeed, cannot begin to conceive of what it must be like to be that desperate, that in need. Most reading this humble article have never involuntarily gone without a meal, much less a week’s worth. Many of us have never ‘needed’ anything. What would drive someone to such an immoral act?

“It is probable that most of us have never met someone in these circumstances; perhaps it is fair to say that we don’t even know someone who knows someone who was. We tend to go about our business; we tend to keep to ourselves. We know what we know, we know whom we know, and that is our life.

“But Nicholas knew of them. He knew that it was immoral for him to allow such a thing to happen. He had the means to help, and did. Under the cover of darkness, having assembled small bags of money (in large amounts), he made his way into their neighborhood, and seeing a window of their house opened, he tossed the bags in, praying that it would be sufficient to prevent such a sin. Thank God, it was. Overjoyed by such grace, Nicholas repeated his secret efforts twice more for the same family; each time another one of the man’s daughters married.”

He is speaking of St. Nicholas – the ORIGINAL St. Nicholas – who was the Bishop of Myra in Lycia, a province of Cappadocia near Turkey. Fr. John continues with a discussion of the fact that many of us have so much “stuff” that we actually need to rent a storage space to hold the extra! Yet, many families have NO “stuff,” and live hand to mouth in shelters.

We DO know someone in dire circumstances: RA Warrior is living in the sheltering home of friends, but she has great needs. She has Rheumatoid Disease (Rheumatoid Arthritis) and is unable to work. While disability (SSDI) may become a possibility, it takes much time to achieve, and her most pressing need is to pay the attorney who is representing her in her custody suit so she can continue to protect her son.

Fr. John continued:

“Is it not finally the time to ask, ‘What do you need for Christmas?’ Shopping and getting ‘more stuff’ will never satisfy our empty souls.

“Many of us continue to spend a frantic month searching for the ‘perfect gift’ for that ‘special someone’ who ‘has everything’. Why on earth do we need to buy ‘something’ (which usually winds up begin just ‘some’ thing) for someone who has everything? Someone who has NO need?

“It isn’t that we shouldn’t give one another gifts. In fact, this is one way we show love for one another. But couldn’t the gift for that ‘someone who has everything’ be an offering to someone who has nothing? Even in our day of down-sizing and cutting back, we still rent storage units to hold all the stuff we can’t fit in our houses. Some spend up to hundreds of dollars a month for a roof over furniture stacked on top of itself in a metal building (and some climate controlled!). But what about the poor who have no roof and are stacked on top of themselves? Which needs the roof?

“Does little Johnny really need another video game? The latest mp3 player? Does Susie really need an 18th Barbie? Does Grandma really need another collector’s plate from the Franklin Mint? Do I really need another tie?

“For many, charity is the check we write on occasion during the year to assuage the guilt we have for having too much stuff and continuing to buy more anyway. Such charity does help the needy, and thank God for that much. But more so, we are called to change our whole view, our whole mind, our whole existence—to reflect the life of Christ like St. Nicholas did. So many of us have so much to give—which is not ours anyway. It is given to us by God to be used by good stewards who in turn show the love of God to those who truly need it. Citing the King and Judge of all, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it [clothed the naked, fed the hungry, visited the sick and imprisoned, etc.] to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40ff). Jesus didn’t give new chariots to people or even grant them new clothing. Rather, he fed them (actually and spiritually), he gave them health, healing, hope, and salvation—and in the end, he gave his life for them, for us. This is our calling.

“St. Nicholas was an ardent follower of Jesus Christ. He lived the Gospel, and did so quietly, humbly, and without desire for or requirement of recognition. He didn’t give asking for the new building to be named after him, or to be announced in the news. He gave because God had given to him, and he knew his responsibility as a human being, as a Christian, to help the helpless and to give hope the hopeless. Our call is no different. So, this Christmas, let’s ask a new question. Instead of “what do you want for Christmas?” let’s ask, “Who has needs this Christmas whom we can help?” And having asked the question, let our giving be, like St. Nicholas’, quiet, anonymous, given to the glory of God, that all may see these good works, and give glory to God in heaven.”

We have an opportunity before us. Let us do what we can, what we should, what we must do to help one of God’s children who needs that help! As Kelly’s uncle said, “this is what ‘family’ has always done for one another.”

And have a blessed Nativity, a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, or a great Kwanzaa!

EMERGENCY!! Please Help PAALS Get Back On Their Paws!

For all of you who have known and loved (or hated) me, you know that when I received my first Mobility Assistance Dog (Emmy) from PAALS (Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services) it was a life-changing event! I was able to walk farther, walk up and down the steep driveway to get mail, and go to my clients’ offices.

Emmy Retrieves My Cane

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Emmy retired because of medical reasons, I was devastated. PAALS came up with a solution, and I now have Warrior! We’ve been partners for a little over a year, and despite my shoulder surgery in April, and the long recovery involved, we are doing well together.

Warrior Doing Laundry for Me

Warrior Getting Shirt Out of Washer

Warrior With Shirt to be Put In Dryer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The emergency is this: PAALS is in BIG TROUBLE!! For 9 years, this little 501(c)(3) organization has worked like an ant colony not only to provide quality-trained dogs for people like me (mobility needs), for children with autism, and for facilities (like PT clinics), but more and more for Veterans with PTSD. The Veterans who can go through the PAALS program and receive their dogs are able to “function far better in society, staying calm and being able to go out in the community and lead a relatively normal life.” The staff and volunteers have, at the same time, been working extremely hard to scrape the money together to get their own building and facility for housing and training the dogs.

In May, 2015, they finally were able to purchase a building with an adequately sized, fenced-in area. With weeks and weeks of hard work by volunteers and staff, they were able to renovate the building to meet the specialized needs of their dogs, staff and clients. They moved their operations into the new building in early August. There was much optimism and cheering!

BUT, almost immediately, DISASTER STRUCK!! They suffered from a sewage backup from down the street, that left 2 inches of raw sewage in the entire building! Fortunately, the dogs were gone for the weekend, so none of them were harmed, but the staff came in to an absolute catastrophe on Monday morning. Unfortunately, the sewage had probably been in place for more than 24 hours, which is extremely harmful.

The sewer company, East Richland County Public Service District, found that the blockage was in the main line. They sent a company to clean it up, however, there have been insurance issues, so the company only got rid of the sewage and treated the floors with a cleansing agent. Since the raw sewage had been sitting and the cleanup went slowly, PAALS now has a problem with mold, so the cleanup and repair work is going to be extensive. PAALS has been told several times that no insurance is going to cover it, except a $5000 allotment from the state. The estimate to clean up and repair the building (remove and replace the drywall and flooring and thoroughly clean the studs) is over $130,000. They just don’t have this kind of money – They had spent most of their money buying and renovating the building.

They are now stuck with an unusable building that can’t be sold and is very expensive to make usable. I don’t want this catastrophe to cause the end of PAALS!!

What can be done? Even if Himself and I lived in South Carolina, we would not be able to volunteer or do anything to help. We have limited funds ourselves, being retired and on Social Security, and being “aged and decrepit,” are not be able to do any of the manual labor. Thus, we are trying to help them to our ability with fundraising. So far, in 1 day, 75 people have raised $5000! This is mainly in $25 and $50 increments, with a few larger donations.

Just donations of $5 or $10 will help. More, if possible, of course, but ANYTHING you can give is important and gladly, gratefully accepted by PAALS. You can donate directly to PAALS by going to their website HERE or by going to their GOFUNDME page.

You can also help PAALS by spreading the news to your friends and relations. I know that every organization in the world is asking for money. And many are very worthy causes – perhaps a cause you have supported for years. But PAALS has done so much good already, it would just about destroy all the people on the waiting list if they could not get their dogs! And the staff and volunteers who have put their time, energy, money and blood into building this little organization would simply be devastated. Those of us who already have PAALS dogs would be left trying to continue without the support of the PAALS organization.

Please “Help PAALS Get Back On Their Paws!”

Thank you so VERY MUCH!

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New Post on Ancient Reptile!

I just uploaded a new blog post to Ancient Reptile. Please do check it out!

Getting Ready for a Five Day Trip!

Himself, bless his heart, is accompanying me to San Diego so I can speak at a small educational section at the annual American College of Rheumatology (ACR) meeting and educational sessions. Himself will be taking care of me – and I will be taking care of him. Most of our disabilities seem to “complement” each other, so I can help him and he can help me.

We will both be volunteering at the RPF, the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation, exhibit. We’ll answer questions about the organization and encourage people to join and become involved in our fight against Rheumatoid Disease (formerly Rheumatoid Arthritis). If YOU haven’t visited the website, please do. And join!

{More information about past meetings of ACR may be found on several posts at RA Warrior: HERE and HERE-2012A and HERE-2012B and HERE-2011A and HERE-2011B and HERE-2011C and HERE-2011D and HERE-2010A and HERE-2010B and HERE-2010C.}

A person with Rheumatoid Disease (PRD) has special things to consider when packing up and going anywhere. Today I started packing – that means I had to separate out the dirty clothes I need to take and to separate out the new clothes that I need to be rinsed out before being worn (or even packed!). Jewelry for each outfit. Shoes – clean? need to visit the shoe guy on Monday? Medications – a dosepak of Medrol is a necessity. I need to see about extra Medrol, and be sure I have enough of my other meds to get me through the trip. All this will take me 3-4 days!

Asking one of the kiddos to pick us up and drive us to the airport at that ungodly hour of 5AM!!

Saturday – take the cat to the Vet for boarding. Call TSA at Airport to give up assistance boarding (we’ll both need wheelchairs to the gate, and wheelchairs to meet us at plane in San Diego. Get to bed VERY EARLY on Saturday – have to be UP by 4AM on Sunday and leave at 5AM to be at airport by 6AM. Plane leaves at 8AM.

Crossing 3 time zones will be difficult east to west, but when we return on Thursday, it will be horrible going from west to east.

All this will leave us totally FLATTENED and we will need a minimum of 3-5 days to recover and recoup.

WHEW!

My Mother’s Keeper

This blog [I am My Mother’s Keeper – A Job I Cherish!] reminds me, somewhat, of my mother’s last few years.

Momma about 1940

Momma about 1955

Momma (left) in Nursing Home about 1977

It certainly is a cautionary tale for all relatives, friends and caregivers. It can help prepare for what is, all to frequently, the future of their lives. No matter how many siblings or children there are, or how deeply they are (or are not) involved, care-giving usually devolves down to one person or one family group.

With the recent admissions that there really are to be “Death Panels” related to Obamacare, relatives and friends more and more will have to be assuming care-giving to the elderly and chronically ill. This is a step backward from our current system, but actually could be a step forward from the impersonal care currently given. It retreats to the days in which family and friends were closer and more involved with the elderly and chronically ill, but could be a step forward to more hands-and-hearts-on care. Instead of living one’s last days among a group of strangers, one can live at home with loved ones close by. There would seem to be more opportunity for saying all the things that need saying before someone dies.

Yes, there is the problem of “too much burden” on the home care-givers. Smaller families and individuals will be forced to rely on friends, acquaintances, Churches and volunteer groups. Is this bad? The transition to more family care-giving will be UGLY! But the final “product” has the potential to be very good.

“Author and organizational consultant William Bridges developed a model that explains the process of transition. This three stage model focuses on the adjustment that people make when they are going through a transition. Bridges states that “transition starts with an ending and ends with a beginning.” [Bridges’ Transition Theory in imjoeboe blog].

Bridges’ Transition Theory

It’s that “neutral zone” that can be UGLY! Change is always difficult. Aging and chronic illness are difficult – and can be UGLY! Surmounting those difficulties and the ugliness can become something to look back on with pride – after the grief! Grief is something I will deal with in another post.

Related articles

• Tips for Coping with Chronic Illness (psychcentral.com)
• 15 Ways to Stay Sane Caring For an Elderly Parent (johnshore.com/)
• Living with chronic illness beats the alternative (healthsass.blogspot.com)
• Caring for Aging Parents (caring-for-aging-parents.com)
• Coping With A Chronic Illness (e-prescribe.biz)

Helps Getting Dressed

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I was researching Multiple Sclerosis after a discussion about it with Himself. Like RA, MS is an autoimmune disease. Unlike RA, it is pretty much confined to the neurological system, but it wreaks havoc there. It inexorably progresses until the patient is pretty much bed-ridden. But I was fascinated to find an article that discussed in specific detail the kinds of daily accommodations people with MS must make. Many of those accommodations are things that would help those of us with RA. So I thought I would discuss these in a series of posts. This first one is about getting dressed, and the things we can do to adapt to decreasing coordination and strength.

• Get dressed while sitting in a chair that has arm rests. This will help you keep your balance. 
  • Note from Turtlemom: this will also give you a place to rest your arms to reduce fatigue.
• Roll from side to side to get pants over your hips. You can do this while sitting in a chair or lying down on your bed.
• Wear clothes that are loose-fitting and have elastic waistbands.
• Choose wrap-around clothing instead of the pull-over type. Also choose clothing that opens in the front, not the back.
  • Note from Turtlemom: Finding bras that fasten in the front – that actually fit and give support – is very difficult. Especially for those of us who are, shall I say, “over-endowed.” I have gone through one brand and style after another. My search continues…
• Wear clothing with large, flat buttons or use Velcro closures.
  • Note from Turtlemom: I’m not to the Velcro closure stage, yet. I do have jackets and coats with large buttons – they make a BIG difference!
• Use a buttonhook to button clothing.
  • Note from Turtlemom: As I mainly wear tee shirts and other over-the-head shirts, this is not a problem, as yet.
• If you have shoulder weakness, use a dressing stick to get your coat or shirt on and off.
  • Note from Turtlemom: This I may have to invest in during 2012.
• Use a zipper pull or attach a leather loop on the end of the zipper to zip pants or jackets.
  • Note from Turtlemom: OR, use elastic-waist pants and skirts. I do have a loops either of leather or braided thread or string on the two jackets that have zippers.
• Use devices such as a sock aid and a long-handled shoehorn for additional assistance.
  • Note from Turtlemom: Now, I do have a Carex Sock Aid that I got through Amazon that I use during flares. I will say that it was especially helpful for about the first 5 weeks after  I had my knee replaced back in September 2011. With me mostly wearing Crocs, I usually don’t need a long-handled shoehorn. Occasionally, though, I wear athletic shoes, and I use elastic shoelaces and my long-handled shoehorn (purchased from my local Red Wing Shoes Store) at those times.

I can do many things myself with just a little assistance from the ingenious devices available from the many suppliers that abound on the internet and through paper catalogs. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Wright Stuff (Daily Living Aids Page)

Allegro Medical (Dressing Aids Page)

Buck and Buck

Disability Products (Dressing Aids Page)

Last, but not least, there is Amazon.com! They have an amazing amount of disability assistance products in their Health & Personal Care section.

I will admit that the clothing leaves a lot to be desired. The women’s clothing is all big flower prints or in “little old lady” colors. But looking at the adaptive methods used, I can get my daughter or one of her “sewing friends” to make one for me. I can go to little craft shops and find things to use to attach to zippers that I can grasp and pull. There are also hooks I can use to attach the pulls.

Joann’s,

Hobby Lobby,

and Michael’s

are all good sources, and the people there are friendly and helpful.

One last thing – check the non-disability websites, too. Their products are considerably cheaper, and the products usually don’t look like the disability clothing lines – more stylish, etc. I would only get the more expensive disability clothing if I couldn’t find anything more stylish and, perhaps, less expensive, that could be adapted.

Please let me know of adaptations you use when getting dressed!

 

A Real PotHolder!

Sorry I haven’t been posting much. My own RA flares, Fibromyalgia flares and severe fatigue have just kept me down for about 5 months, now.

But, I’m back, now, and want to share something from Wright Stuff. It’s a pan holder. It keeps a pan on the stove from moving as you stir it. Wow! What an idea?

It does work best on an electric stove, but if you are careful, you can use it with a gas stove too. Doesn’t matter which hand is weak, it works ambidextrously.

The only thing I would add is a lip or handle on the other side of the pot. Picking up a pot that size with food or liquid in it can be difficult. A lip on the other side facilitates picking it up without burning yourself (assuming you use a pot holder!) or spilling. 🙂

This is a great little accommodative device!