Lotsa Blog

Contributed by Michelle Hassler

Summer is a fun time of year that is often jam packed with activities, vacations, and social gatherings. However, the summer months also come with a laundry list of chores and tasks that need to be handled. If you can, take a break from your own social calendar and explore how to help others this season. Find time to dedicate to help someone you care about who may not be able to accomplish certain tasks due to health complications, advanced age, caregiving responsibilities, or simply a full plate. Here are a few ideas for how to help someone this summer.

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Contributed by Nora Stasio

Everyone knows that exercise is good for you. Studies have shown that those exercising regularly basis tend to have stronger immune systems than those who do not. But what if you are one of those people that exercises religiously and you fall ill? Is it healthy to exercise while sick? Might a round of rigorous activity be helpful or detrimental to your recovery?

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Contributed by Tiffany Silverberg

A care calendar can be among your closest allies in your caregiving journey. Your care calendar puts a date and time to the many tasks that need to get done, allowing others to step up and help you. Here are a few tips to help get started using a care calendar so you can rest easy knowing that upcoming tasks are organized and assigned.

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Contributed by Nathan McVeigh

According to the National Library of Medicine, the spouse of someone living with cancer holds a very influential role. So much, in fact, a recent study found that a spouse’s positive attitude can help reduce the likelihood of depression in the one who has cancer by as much as 30 percent. This finding is important because it shows that the spouse’s mental health is just as much of a factor in the adjustment process as the one with cancer—if not more so. If you find yourself occupying this role, and want to be a more helpful spouse, you can start with these general guidelines.

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Contributed by Tiffany Silverberg

Care packages for soldiers, sailors and service men and women are a great way to get your community or group working together to support the troops. Gather your ideas, supplies, and a bunch of friends to put together care packages that are fun, helpful, and well-loved. With a plan, a bit of creativity, and some delegation, you can create care packages that will brighten up long, lonely days for troops who are deployed away from home.

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Contributed by Haley Burress

Fortunately, when you get sick or have a newborn arrival, well-wishers are often in high supply. People want to stop over to cheer you up, snuggle the baby, or simply sit with you. Unfortunately, well-wishers don’t always know when to leave and let you rest. Whether you are welcoming a newborn into your home or are facing a serious illness, it is important for your own well-being to set up some realistic visiting hours. Once you put visiting hours in place and let folks know about the best times to visit, you will find that your stress goes down and you actually enjoy stopovers from your friends and family.

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Contributed by Christine Binney

Over the course of a lifetime, invasive breast cancer will develop in about one in eight women in the United States. Since it is such a prevalent disease, there are countless organizations that exist to spread awareness about breast cancer. Yet despite the public awareness, there are still aspects of the disease that are unknown to many. Here are five things you might not know about breast cancer.

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Contributed by Michelle Hassler

Life gets busy and the daily grind can be hectic and unpredictable. Being able to provide a tasty and nutritious meal for your family without much thought or preparation could be the silver lining on an otherwise cloudy day. If you need something in a pinch or are preparing a meal for others, it may be a good rule of thumb to stick to basics. Come up with something that will appeal to the entire family – especially kids who can be particular about what they eat. Remember, warming up a frozen meal should provide relief, not require you to take on the role of a short-order cook for picky eaters.

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Contributed by Haley Burress

You likely know someone who is living in the “sandwich generation”; the adults who are caring for both their own children and their aging parents. They might be your neighbors, someone at your church, or even you. Nearly half of middle aged parents are a part of this demographic, being pulled from parent-teacher conferences to geriatrician appointments and everywhere in between. In order to help others from the sandwich generation, you must find ways to lighten their load both emotionally and physically. We’ll get you headed in the right direction to help others with a few of our tips.

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Contributed by Michelle Hassler

Sitting across from a doctor and hearing the words, “you have cancer” may be the scariest moment of your life. Those three little words may seem like they can stop time altogether. However, after the initial blow, time seems to speed up as you immediately become more aware of your mortality than ever before. Some are immediately hit with the gravity of the situation. Others may need time to process the information and seek comfort in a mind-numbing state of denial. Reality may seem too harsh, too uncertain, or too much to process. However, there is one part of reality that may be even harder to handle: having to tell your children, “I have cancer.” As a parent, you have always been there to support and protect your children. Not knowing what changes the future will bring is a scary reality. How are your kids supposed to cope with this diagnosis when you yourself are having trouble dealing with the news?

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