Happy Labor Day! September's Free Form - Blood Sugar Level Record

Its the first day of autumn and also time for another free form.  This month we are giving away the Blood Sugar Level Record for those who have or are a caregiver for someone who has diabetes.  

The Blood Sugar Level Record is useful when caring for a diabetic. Not all diabetics require testing as often as the chart allows (four times a day) but it is very handy when needed. Average the numbers by adding all readings in a day, then dividing by the number of times taken. There is room at the bottom for an average of all averages for the month. Option: Most glucose monitors average for 7, 14, and 30 days which will save you the hassle.

To view or download the Blood Sugar Level Record click on the link below. Also check out the autumn advisory video that follows.  Have a great Labor Day!

Get the free Blood Sugar Level Record - September only!

Newsroom : Meteorologists Predict Worst Autumn Ever!

I Made Some New Friends Today!

Happy Easter from Caregiver Forms & Resources!

Happy Valentines Day Video from Waverly Retirement

The Waverly Oldies are back!  These folks from Waverly Mansion Retirement Residence ARE amazing.  Check out this Valentines Day video they did of the Bruno Mar's song Just The Way You Are.  Because of copyright issues, I am not able to post the actual video, so just click on the picture below to go to the actual YouTube video.  It will make your heart smile.  Have a wonderful Valentines Day.

Menu Planners and Grocery List

Menu Planner: This menu planner is easily used when you are on a diet because it includes two snacks a day. If you plan ahead a week at a time you are less likely to be pulled away from your commitment to the diet plan. With the shopping list at the end of each day, you can be ready to shop when you finish you plan and not wonder if you are missing something.

Weekly Menu Planner: This menu planner puts breakfast, lunch, dinner, and shopping all on one row. Most people cook the same foods often. This is the menu for that quick calculation for each week to see if you need to go to the store. Make up your shopping list as you go.

Weekly Menu/Shopping Planner: This Weekly menu planner has room for everything. Figure out what your basic meals are for the week and check to see what you will need from the store. Quick and easy!

Grocery List: We have created this form to include everything we think a serious shopper would need and yet simple enough for anyone to use. If you know your store well you can number the aisles and very efficiently plan your list going up and down the aisles. There is a column to check off the product when you have put it in the grocery cart, and the next column for checking off if you have a coupon for that product. Enter the grocery item you want to buy and the number and the size you will need. The last two columns are for comparison of the costs from one time to another. You may want to make a master copy of items you buy on a regular basis and print off a copy each time.

Get these forms for just $2!

This picture is just to give you a general idea of what the forms will look like. Turning the form into a picture has greatly reduced the quality, so there are distortions that do not appear in the actual form.

Daily To-Do List

This form is very simple and easy but so essential when caregiving, or just in daily organization, to get the maximum amount done. List the things you need to get accomplished every day by priority, the most important down to the least. Check them off as you go. Get busy!

Get this form for just $2!

This picture is just to give you a general idea of what the forms will look like. Turning the form into a picture has greatly reduced the quality, so there are distortions that do not appear in the actual form.

A New Generation of Gamers

Are your elderly clients or loved ones driving you nuts for a new game system? That may sound a little crazy, but it seems as though the game systems that are so popular with younger adults are becoming more popular with the elderly.

Game consoles with gesture control, like Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect and the Playstation Wii are being used in nursing homes, retirement communities and senior centers, as a way to get people up and moving and give them a break from a usually sedentary lifestyle. The games are being used to help stroke patients regain movement, and others with coordination, balance and eye movement. It is also a great way for them to interact with others and just have fun.

Games to consider for your senior loved ones:

Wii Sports has lots of great activities, including bowling which is very popular among seniors everywhere and there are even leagues and tournaments for the ones that get really good!

Wii Ski is a pretty realistic simulation of hitting the slopes and if a loved one used to be a skiier, then this is a good way for them to show off to the younger folks.

Big Brain Academy - Its not a physical game, but its a great game to keep the mind and brain exercised and healthy

Other fun games include: Tiger Woods Golf, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Deal or No Deal and Trivial Pursuit. Any hunting or fishing games would be great also.

So next time your kid's game system is free, why not hand a controller to Mom or Dad and see what happens.  Be warned though....your older loved ones can become just as addicted as your younger loved ones and that may lead to some problems...like them bugging you for their own game system this Christmas!

Raymond: A Song About Alzheimer's

A touching song by Brett Eldredge about a caregiver and a woman with Alzheimer's.   You might want to go grab some tissues before you watch.

Grandma Gets A Tattoo

I was looking around on the AARP site and came across this video. It doesn't have anything to do with caregivers or caregiving, but I thought it was a nice video and worth sharing.



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Find Family Friendly Movies

When I was caregiver for my grandmother, we would often watch movies together and many times I would pop in a movie and after it started I would realize that there was a lot of bad language in it or it would have an out-of-the-blue sex scene that so many movies have these days.  Talk about uncomfortable!

What seems to be the norm in movies these days can often be offensive to our elderly loved ones. Movie ratings aren't always all that helpful.  Movies that were rated PG 20 years ago might be G now and I’m still not sure what PG-13 is!  So how can you know if a movie is appropriate?  Kids in Mind is a great site that is not just great for parents, but caregivers as well. You can see a list of possibly offensive content for each area.  It provides detailed ratings that cover sex, violence, and profanity….all the things Granny hated!

Below is an excerpt from their site.  It covers the sex/nudity and profanity content for the movie War Horse.

SEX/NUDITY - We see a man and a woman kissing as the man marches past in a parade of soldiers.  Two teenage brothers tease one another about the appearance of a country's women and one of the brothers playfully scolds the other, saying he is too young to think of women. Two soldiers on opposing sides joke about women entertaining them in their barracks and one of the men comments about "Big German girls."  A small portion of a teen boy's chest is visible when his shirt is unbuttoned.

PROFANITY - 2 mild anatomical terms, 3 mild obscenities, name-calling (daft, more money than sense, cheap, greedy sod, out of your mind, fool, fool of a father, thick and stubborn, filthy, jokers, coward, ugly nun, Fritz, stupid git), exclamations (bloody, bugger off, bugger me), 1 implied religious exclamation ("for the love of...").

It’s pretty detailed, but it’s nice when you have someone like my grandmother, who didn't mind a little nudity, but if they were taking the Lord’s name in vain, forget it!  I wish I had known about this site when she was still alive.  Maybe we could have watched something besides just John Wayne movies!

http://www.kids-in-mind.com/

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More great videos...

Lets not forget to tell our elderly loved ones how much we love and appreciate them this holiday season!  Where would we be without them?

Caregiver Relief Fund

The Caregiver Relief Fund is a fairly new charity that awards family caregivers a one-time voucher for professional at home care. Caregivers fill out an application form, share their caregiving story and go through an interview. They select and match the available relief funds with the needs of the caregiver.

Vouchers for professional at-home care services are donated or purchased on behalf of the Caregiver Relief Fund. They award these vouchers to caregivers who have been in a caregiving role for a chronically ill individual, elder or disabled person for 12 months or longer. Applicants must not have an annual income that exceeds $80,000.

I don't know what the process entails, if there is a waiting list or even how much they actually help, but if you are in a desperate situation and need some time off, its probably worth applying for.

Caregiver Resource - The Caregiver Relief Fund Website

Depression Cooking with Clara

Clara Cannucciari is in her 90's and has her own cooking show on YouTube.  She has been doing videos for a few years now and she has lots of great recipes, but that's not the best part.  The best part is Clara.  She is very entertaining and has a lot of interesting stories.  If you haven't seen her videos yet, you are in for a treat.   I believe this is her first video.  Enjoy :)

Clark Retirement Community LipDub

When its time to move to a retirement community, this is the one I want to go to!

Funny Prayer about Getting Old at the Home Instead Caregiver of the Year Dinner

This is a great speech given by Mary Maxwell at the Home Instead Caregiver of the Year dinner.  I think this lady missed her calling as a comedian. 

Click here to see the poem she reads at the end.