Contributed by Tiffany Silverberg
Helping a friend through illness is something many of us face numerous times throughout our lives. When our friends start to feel unwell or receive a diagnosis, our first instinct is to help. Many of us don’t qualify as medical professionals and thus feel at a loss as to how best to help. Here are a few ideas to get you started the next time you hear of a friend or loved one affected by an illness.
Contributed by Christine Binney
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a mental health problem that can occur after a traumatic event. It can be hard for people to know how to help someone with PTSD because it is impossible to relate to their experience. If you have a friend or family member who is suffering from PTSD, you know how difficult it is to see your loved one’s behavior change. It’s important to remember that the person suffering from PTSD doesn’t always have control over their behavior, so you should not take their actions personally. While it is a hard journey for all involved, there are ways that you can help get life back to the way it was before the trauma. Here is a short guide on how to help someone with PTSD.
The word itself is simply defined. The meaning is tucked right there in the word. A “caregiver” is a giver of care. Someone who provides support, help, or aid to another who needs it. They care for a loved one, a friend, a family member, or another person when that person can’t provide specific care for himself or herself. Caregivers are a diverse group – providing a wide variety of care in a variety of situations. Let’s take a step back and ask ourselves, “what is a caregiver?” Once we identify caregivers in our own lives, we can support them in their important work.
If you are a caregiver or know a caregiver well, you understand the value of respite. When you look at your calendar, are you seeing the time for you? It’s time to make that time. Your Lotsa Community gives you a place to reserve time for your own respite. Use it to give yourself a break so you can give more to your loved one.
Are you making the most of your Lotsa Community? Your Well Wishes Wall just may be the most powerful tool you have. Your own hub of inspiration and love, the Well Wishes wall serves as a place to reflect and be reminded of the active community around you. Here are some tips for making the best of your Well Wishes Wall.
Caregivers can sometimes feel like they have taken a second job as a taxi driver since so much of their time is used coordinating rides between doctor’s appointments, physical and occupational therapy sessions, kid’s sports, and various meetings. If your schedule is filled with places to be, you may want to consider using your Lotsa Community to coordinate carpooling to appointments.
As one year passes and a new year has begun, marked by a fresh calendar, we spend time thinking about what we want to do differently in the coming days, weeks, and months. We ponder what worked well for us in the previous year and what we might want to change in the New Year. We consider our goals and the paths that will get us there. We think about who we want to become and make plans to change. Whether you are a caregiver or caring for a caregiver, we suggest taking a moment to consider New Year resolutions that will bring renewed peace, organization, and focus to your year.
Lotsa Helping Hands is the gift that keeps on giving. Always there when you need it and customizable for every caregiving situation, a Lotsa Community empowers those who care to provide lasting, meaningful help to those dealing with chronic or terminal illness, rehabilitation and ongoing therapy, sudden loss or difficult situations, or any number of lifestyle changes that bring unique challenges. Lotsa is the gift that lingers long after the holiday decorations have been packed up, making a difference for a lifetime.
Being a caregiver can be both exhausting and isolating. The very name implies a constant giving of oneself. Selfless and focused on the needs of a loved one, caregivers sometimes don’t ask for anything in return and won’t request anything specific. They are often more concerned for the needs of the person they are helping than their own. If such generous people are on your holiday list this year, here are a few ideas for gifts for caregivers that will certainly brighten their season.
