Late in July, my twenty-two year old nephew was informed he had a brain tumor twice the size of a golf ball, requiring immediate surgery. As Lotsa’s CEO, I found myself once again as a first-hand witness to how Lotsa Helping Hands can have a profound effect not only on the family caregivers and the patient, but also on the community of volunteers and supporters that rally behind them.
By Dave Singleton, Caring.com author
Managing a loved one’s care doesn’t just take a village. Sometimes it requires advanced research skills and a master’s degree in organizational development, too.
If you’ve managed care of any kind for an aging parent, you know what I’m talking about. It’s heartwarming when friends and family offer support. But without a way to truly marshal all that good will, you’re still in need of a smiling army at your command to help out. Lotsa Helping Hands offers tools and resources to engage your army of helpers and act as a virtual organizational developer, especially when you need your village around you for a discrete period of time.
by Paula Spencer Scott, senior editor at Caring.com
Seeing a friend or relative in need taps a wonderful human impulse in most of us: to give help. The quandary is that we’re often not exactly sure how to do that. What kind of help is needed? How can you find out? What’s the best way to offer meaningful, real help without being pushy, nosy, or otherwise off-key? Try these suggestions:
Here at Lotsa Helping Hands, we often come across companies who also support and understand the needs of caregivers. When we find products and services that would be of use to our members, we want to share them with you. This guest post (and special Mother’s Day offer) comes from GreatCall, a company that has set out to make cell phones easy to use for aging loved ones.
By: the American Brain Tumor Association
Caring for a loved one who has a brain tumor can be an overwhelming experience. In addition to medical terms to learn, schedules to manage and medications to dispense, there is the stress of dealing with an uncertain prognosis and a future that is forever altered. From the physical and emotional drain to the dramatic changes that can occur within the caregiver/patient relationship, embarking on the caregiving path can be a journey in and of itself.
By: Sherri Snelling
Every October we are immersed in a sea of pink – the color for breast cancer awareness – yet the No. 1 killer of women in America remains heart disease. In fact, twice as many women die from stroke or cardiovascular disease than all cancers combined, including breast cancer. More than 1 in 3 women will die from heart disease this year – one every minute.
By: Sherri Snelling
Fifty years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. As we honor Dr. King’s birthday this month with the “MLK Day of Service” family caregivers can perform two acts of service for their loved ones:
Here at Lotsa Helping Hands, we often hear from our very own members. This guest blog post comes from Karen, who writes about finding the right recipe to meet a family’s needs.
I recently received an email from a parent of another child in my daughter’s third grade class. Another mom—someone new to town, who I don’t yet know well—was scheduled for reconstructive surgery following a mastectomy. She’d be in the hospital for five days, followed by least another five days of strict bed rest, and probably many more days where she wouldn’t have the energy to cook for her family. One way our community was coming to her family’s aid was by organizing meal deliveries. Of course I wanted to help out.
At Lotsa Helping Hands we are truly privileged to witness the best the human soul has to offer. Reading the unsolicited testimonials sent in by many of our 1.2 million community members is both an honor as well as a constant reminder of the humbling responsibility we all have to assist those in need. While so many express their gratitude for the free service we provide, there is an underlying theme in each unique story of how family, friends, and neighbors came together to aid in caring for the caregiver. But what about those other tens of millions of caregivers who feel isolated, often desperate as they struggle daily with the emotional, physical, and financial hardships confronting them? Too often a community member who has helped someone will conclude their testimonial with a comment to the effect “I only wish I’d known about this service years ago when I was caring for my ______.”
By: Sherri Snelling
After a long, hard battle President Obama has gained a second term as Commander in Chief. We heard from the TV news pundits this election was a turning point in understanding the needs of a changing America. I hope valuing family caregivers becomes part of that change. We need to encourage the White House, Congress and all sectors of society to support those caregiving Americans who represent 80 percent of the long-term care workforce in our country – but how?