We’re thrilled to be mentioned in a Wicked Local article posted this Thanksgiving Day, “Memory Cafés Take Hold,” about the part of our survivor’s mission that is wicked-local– our seasonal Rest.Stop.Ranch Memory Café in Topsfield, MA for dementia caregivers and care-receivers North of Boston! This is a timely article during National Family Caregivers Month and […]
Today at Brooksby Village (a continuing-care retirement community) in Danvers, MA, I attended a four-hour “Suicide and Aging: Gatekeeper Workshop,” presented by the Samaritans of Merrimack Valley (Family Services of the Merrimack Valley). I learned that white men over age 75+ with access to firearms are the greatest risk group; and for every homicide reported, […]
A person with disabilities of my own, I was grateful to make it down to the Boston Common for the ADA25Boston Celebration yesterday, thanks to Edith, my beloved get-it-done/personal-care assistant and companion, who drove us down from our home in the Topsfield wilderness. Edith helped us get to the start of the march, at the […]
This is the second in a series of two posts. 1st post in this series: Robin Hood Redux: MAP Conference 2015: About 80% of long-term-care services in the USA are provided by (often unpaid) family caregivers. Many in this population do not have access to the latest and greatest conference presentations due to barriers financial, […]
This is the first in a series of two posts. 2nd post in this series: Robin Hood Redux: MAP Conference 2015: Mary’s Private Notes 80% of long-term-care services in the USA are provided by (often unpaid) family caregivers. Many in this population do not have access to the latest and greatest conference presentations due to […]
As you friends in the Christian tradition begin your trek out to the desert wilderness (don’t forget your backpack snacks and water bottle!), don’t worry ’bout being alone – I’ve been out here for at least the past 90 days peering into my past and examining the who done it, the where, when, what, how, […]
It feels so good to say we’ve reached the end of the “Estate Disaster Relief Year 2014.” Phase 3, 18 of 18 sessions was completed on December 23, 2014. The estate management process has humbled me. A mountain way bigger than myself, it took a small team (myself, my beloved Karl, Edith, Hillary, and Melissa) […]
The last estate management milestone of 2014 was reached on December 18, 2014. We now have the beginnings of a personal filing system where we can better locate practical papers (e.g. auto and medical receipts, house repairs), personal interests (e.g. newspaper and magazine clippings of fun things-to-do), personal finances (e.g. banking and retirement), and personal […]
Seven years ago I left everything to care for my mom, a state away, living with dementia. My personal paperwork was packed, not to be seen again for a very long time (I still have several pallets stacked high with boxes from 2007). Since moving to our current home in 2009 with the effects of […]
Today, we started sorting the boxes moved to our new Karl and Mary Study (just eighteen months ago this was my father’s reading room) – into groups of: stationery, personal files, and personal/family history. This will become a room for books, journal and letter writing, and personal and family memories. Moving forward with a listening […]
