Help me help you: what would you like to see more of?
Hello KIRC family!
Birthday greetings are in order this week, as the Keeping It REAL Caregiving newsletter marks one year of publication here at Meta Bulletin!
Missed some of our first launch articles? Read them here:
Caregiving 101: Are you a family caregiver?
Diabetes & diets – You can’t always get what you want
I can’t thank you enough for supporting this effort to gather information and share stories designed to raise awareness and assist family caregivers.
This project truly is a labor of love. It comes from my desire to offer whatever guidance I can, to others entering and navigating a family caregiving role.
As a career broadcast journalists and a family caregiver to my elderly (now deceased) mother, I decided to start writing and created Keeping It REAL Caregiving.
This past year has been filled with conducting interviews, writing stories, digging out information, and building this newsletter.
As KIRC continues to grow, I invite you to please share our newsletter with others and consider submitting YOUR story into the mix.
Be sure to say hello, connect and stay in the loop on 📶 Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
If you like what KIRC offers up💛, share it with your circle of family & friends
Remember to SUBSCRIBE 📬 to stay up to date with KIRC news & info!
It is all with the hope of motivating others to educate themselves and to get ready for the realities of aging.
Speaking of which, for those of you in the Northern California region, consider joining an upcoming event that KIRC will be taking part in.
Aging with Grace: Healthy Resources
Hosted by the Butte-Glenn Medical Society
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
RSVP to: 530.487.7061
Keeping It REAL Caregiving is my ‘passion work.’ I serve as a full-time communications consultant working with clients all over the country.
But there are countless others whose careers are focused on improving the system and raising awareness – many whom have shared their expertise with us here at KIRC.
Related articles
Caregivers’ Comfort: 5 reasons why taking care of yourself is more crucial than you might think
So you see, I WANT to do whatever I can to be a voice, an educator and an advocate within the space of family caregiving.
As KIRC recognizes our one year newsletter mark, I would like to share with you a recent message someone sent.
If you read this week’s earlier post, you know I begged folks to ‘get ready.’
Why do I continue to repeat this message? Because it scares me how many conversations I have with people who are scrambling to find care solutions for an elderly loved one.
Not because the family didn’t notice their person aging, but rather because no advance planning was put in place. I get it. This is hard stuff to think about.
Shortly after the recent article posted, an individual sent a message simply saying STOP.
Courtesy: Canva
I took that to mean, this person doesn’t care for the content. That’s fair.
But I have to admit, the message made me angry.
STOP?
Really? Did they mean:
STOP urging, begging, and imploring others to think about getting ready?
STOP sharing information that isn’t always heart-warming?
STOP reminding others of the pitfalls to look for when securing care?
STOP making them think about a difficult reality…?
Falling tree in the forest?
Quite often, I feel as if I am writing and speaking into a huge vacuum and wonder: is anyone picking up this content? Does anyone care?
And then I remind myself, ‘If the information helps even one or two people – it’s all worth it.’
*Please let me know what you think of our content by leaving a comment below.
✍Do you have a personal story you would like to share that you believe could help others? Submit your information here.
You can also visit me on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/JuliaYarboughMediaGroup/)
Why? Because I (like millions of others) have lived through caregiving.
Like many of you who are right now struggling to get your families to pitch in and help, or having your employer cut you some slack, or finding in-home care, or figuring out how you are going to pay for help, or simply hoping and praying you are doing all the right things care for your loved one – I feel the fear and frustration because I experienced the exact same thing!
Ironically, that STOP message came about the same time another reader shared their frustrations and fear surrounding their loved one needing care at a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF).
“We really need to do more for seniors, the things I have seen at this 5-star place is incredible. I always wonder what happens when I am not there. It’s sad.”
So no, I won’t STOP. I would love to hear from some of you – what do you think the next year of KIRC should look like?
Until next time,
Julia
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