Senior Home Care Givers:

Top 10 Diseases Made Famous by Celebrities – Parkinson’s Disease is #4 and Autism is # 10. @ParkinsonsInfo

An interesting EldercareABC blog carnival.

Boomers and Seniors: News You Can Use 10/27/09 – Transition, Memories & Meaning…

Good info for those who will soon be having cataract surgery! @mike_gamble

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain! @TeresaBaine

Lack of ZZZZs Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease in Mice.    @GlenboAZ

Grandparenting:

Kids elect “awesome” homecoming queen with autism. @SafetyNetSource:

Show off your grandkids in a high-tech tiny keychain fun sort of way. Giveaway – Digital Photo Keychain.  @Janetfaye

Sandwich Generation:

Go get your free Christian holiday book now – The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren. @HomeEverAfter

Encouragement – You are my help and my deliverer; O my God.

Are eggs required for baking? A better option is to grind a tablespoon of flax seed & dissolve it in 3 tablespoons of water. This equals the same consistency and binding power as the eggs and is a lot healthier for our baby boomer generation bodies (not to mention our senior parents’ bodies). @Carebuzz

Mixed news from many quarters on whether the economy is better, worse or the same. The bottom line, though, is that there are still plenty of people I know who are out of work and need some extra help. If you know anyone using food stamps, let them know that many wholesale clubs like Sam’s Club are now taking food stamps. For a large, multi-generational family, that could be a big help!

Democrats Agree to Extend Home-Buyer Tax Credit as part of a package that would also extend unemployment benefits. It could come up for a vote today. If you want to express your opinion on this, either way, you’ll find the congressional contact info at SandwichINK.

Food safety is vital for the Sandwich Generation and their families. Poultry is the #1 source of food poisoning in the U.S. — here’s how to keep your family safe. @parenting

Humorous & interesting article – My Neighbor Rocks – Baby Boomer Generation Meets Guns and Roses.

SENIOR HOME CARE:

10 Warning Signs of Poor Senior Nutrition Per @CarePath and @steveeldercare

Kaiser Health News: Who Will Care for the Elderly and Disabled?

Brief overview of assisted living: how to tour, things to look for, etc.  Per @RetireLife

Wall Street Journal: Elderly Home Care Cutting Repeat Hospital Trips — Simple Idea, Hard to Pull Off.  Per @ECMatters

Caregiver Closeness May Slow Alzheimer’s Disease Progress Per @SeniorsResource

According to Boston.com: Work longer, stay sharper - Working beyond normal retirement age appears to keep dementia at bay Per @RetireLife

The UK Telegraph reports that: “Patients forced to live in agony after NHS (National Health Service – United Kingdom’s NHS is one of the largest publicly funded health services in the world) refuses to pay for painkilling injections.” Concerns are that it will primarily impact the elderly and frail.

Facing the Initial Impact of the Sandwich Generation – A good article with lots of excellent links for Sandwich Generation senior home care providers

US News and World Reports contributing editor Philip Moeller writes about the people, ideas and programs that provide “best life” retirement solutions and opportunities. Looks like a good resource for those of us in the Baby Boomer Generation who are providing care for elderly parents and often grandkids as well.

AAA Web Site Promotes Senior Safety

Book Review:Insider’s Guide to Better Nursing Home Care: 75 Tips You Should Know.  Per @JLCHRLS

An Island-based bioscience company is working on groundbreaking research in finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease

Don’t Let Caregiving Ruin Your Other Relationships. Per @Carebuzz

Twitter Twatter: Teens or Elderly Parents? All about looking for that all-important, sometimes elusive work life balance!

Encouragement: The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him.

GRANDPARENTS:

@Suesbooks reminds us to help our kids and grandkids by reading to our grandchildren whenever we can.

If you have one or more autistic grandchildren, you might want to check out this internet browser made specifically for those with autism.   RT @Autisable

Recommended by @autismfamily: Guiding Your Teenager with Special Needs Through the Transition from School to Adult Life: Tools for Parents

Grandmother Wren has a fun paper helicopter for you and your grandkids!

Encouragement! God is forever and ever!

SANDWICH GENERATION MISCELLANEOUS:

Are you or is someone in your family dealing with unemployment? The New York Times reports that: Prolonged Aid to Unemployed Is Running Out For those in the Sandwich Generation who are dealing with job loss, coupled with extra expenses due to caregiving, this is not encouraging news!

Geek Tech Talk – Update for previous posts and tweets about computer security concerns:

Adobe’s latest info

US-CERT’s latest info

Microsoft’s latest info:  “Microsoft encourages users to take action now by running Microsoft Update now rather than at a regularly scheduled time.”

Encouragement for Sandwich Generation caregivers and grandparents:

Our computers may fail, our bodies may fail, BUT

God is faithful!

Caregiving

SandwichINK enjoyed being a part of the EldercareABC Blog Carnival last week. You can find my post with several others of interest, on such topics as “Can Seniors Go On Living at Home?,” “Medication Management,” and “Overcoming Loneliness.”

Very Interesting info – Couples have a lower risk of dementia!

Exercise can improve memory in a person suffering from Alzheimer’s.

Getting creative with your senior care is the key. Here are some great tips to help bring out your creativity.

Grandparents

Here are some excellent tips for grandparents to help their grandkids learn about reading!

For those of you who have autistic grandkids, here are two very helpful and interesting articles:

• Technology and Autism
• Protecting Your Autistic Child

Sandwich Generation:

Tech – For Business and Pleasure

• For all you Sandwich Generation Photoshop Geeks, here’s an interesting collection of Glow and Light Effect Tutorials in Photoshop:
• Remember yesterday’s post about my computer driving me crazy? I really appreciated the cute videos at Sugar Pine Realty!   They gave my senior mom and me a good laugh!

Family Friday at @HomemakerBarbi has an interesting post, Family Vacation Road Trip Planning: Breaks & Stops. Great ideas for a multi-generation vacation with your family.

Family Doctor Mag has some great Twitter health links.

If you or someone you care for is dealing with chronic illness, you’ll be interested to know that Rest Ministries announced the opening of their new bookstore.

WOW! Scientists have developed a mind-controlled wheelchair.

Have you ever thought of retiring overseas?

Autism Awareness Day was April 2, but Autism Awareness Month continues through the whole month of April. Autism continues to increase and to make news headlines every month but April is a time to really focus on the issue. I thought it would make an excellent topic for this week’s Thursday Current Events Meme as many of us may have grandkids who are directly impacted by it.

Medical News Today has an interesting article with the headline, Early Diagnosis Of Autism To Maximize Positive Outcomes . I can certainly agree with that. I have several friends dealing with this and each one has commented on what a difference it made getting the diagnosis early. Over and over I’ve heard different ones explain that because their children were diagnosed early and got started with the special therapy each child needed, the families were seeing major progress. And because they come into contact with so many other families with autism, they also have sad stories of kids who didn’t get diagnosed until much later and what a difficult time they are having.

Finding out your grandchild has autism can be difficult. But ignoring the very real possibility doesn’t make things any better. Instead it frequently makes things worse. It’s so vital that we, as grandparents, choose to deal with this situation in a positive manner and encourage our adult kids by being supportive of whatever choices they make. There are a lot of differing opinions out there. They are the ones who have to make the hard choices and we just have to be there to encourage them. We can also help with babysitting the other kids so the parents can take our grandchild into therapy appointments and have time to talk to the therapist. Alternatively we can take the grandkids to the therapy appointments, giving their moms and dads a much needed break.

Being a caregiver to an autistic grandchild is definitely a challenge, but it is a tremendous blessing as well. Age Of Autism has a delightful article showing the positive impact two grandparents made and the various ways they supported their family including their grandson who was diagnosed with autism.

Another excellent gift you can give your kids and grandkids is the gift of knowledge. Read up on autism so you can discuss it knowledgeably with your adult kids. As I mentioned earlier, it’s important for us to be aware that there can be considerable variation in the treatment options available. Since specialists are still learning about autism, that is not surprising. What’s important for us is to be supportive of the direction our adult kids and their doctors take. Some resource sites include:

Autism Research Institute

Autism Society of America

Autism Spectrum Disorders Site – This page has a compilation of radio programs that cover the autism spectrum on a variety of topics and issues.

Autism Today

CARD

Unlocking Autism

Here are two books that might be useful:

Raising a Child With Autism: A Guide to Applied Behavior Analysis for Parents

The Autism Sourcebook: Everything You Need to Know About Diagnosis, Treatment, Coping, and Healing–from a Mother Whose Child Recovered

Whether our grandkids are on the high end of the Autism spectrum or the low end, they and their parents need our love, our support, and our caregiving. What a blessing it is to them and to us when we are in a position to provide that.

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Ps 119:11 in the King James Version is the quintessential verse for explaining why we memorize Bible verses. The NASB translates it a bit differently, "Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.” Either way you look at it, it’s clear that Bible memory is downright practical for us in our walk with Christ.

Many of our grandchildren are memorizing verses through their Christian schools, homeschools, or such programs as Awanas. It’s exciting when God allows us to help them in this worthy endeavor.

It’s important to remember that different children learn at different speeds and in different ways. My children were all very bright. They could each learn a verse in a matter of minutes. No matter how many verses they had to memorize for school, they could have it totally memorized with only a day or two of preparation, and the verses would stay with them long after the class was over.

Having worked with a variety of children through home school, Sunday School and Awanas, not to mention nine wonderful grandchildren, I’ve discovered it is rarely that simple. While I’ve seen many kids learn that easily, I’ve seen many more learn much more slowly. Then, of course, there are a wide variety of learning issues such as learning disabilities, auditory disabilities, dyslexia, being on the autism spectrum, etc. You may find that your grandchild is not comfortable saying the verse or even able to say it. Regardless of how your grandchild learns, it is still wonderfully worthwhile for both you and them to help them with the verses. It instills in them the knowledge that it is important to you, therefore making it more important to them. It shows them you care about them. It teaches them about your relationship with God. In addition, it is sometimes easier for a child to work on things with grandparents, that they would normally drag their heels on with parents .

I have found that no matter how a child learns, just hearing me say the verses to them three times a day, most days of the week, is sufficient to help them learn it. If they work cheerfully with you, they will learn it fairly quickly. Even if it looks like they aren’t really paying attention, it often gets through. I usually try to couple this Bible memory time with snuggle time and reading time. My goal is to help them learn verses while wrapping the whole process with a sense of love, joy, peace, and even fun. That’s how I feel when I am enjoying a good sermon or Bible study and that’s what I want for my grandchildren.

If they have the option on how much they memorize, such as with Awanas’ Sparks, I’ve learned that a lot of verses poorly memorized are usually not as valuable as one or two verses well memorized. Four verses memorized in a month equals 36 verses memorized by the end of the school year. That’s 36 verses more than they knew at the beginning of the year, and 36 verses God can use throughout their lives to keep their way pure according to His Word.

If your grandchildren live far away, you can encourage them by asking them what they are memorizing. They will have fun telling you their verses and you will be blessed by hearing them.

Whether near or far, helping our grandchildren memorize God’s Word is another wonderful way to pass on our spiritual heritage to them.

Continuing where we left off yesterday, here are some more great links for Grandparents, Granny Nannies and Pappies, Senior HOme Care Givers caring for elderly parents, and more.

Activities and Trips for Grandparents and Their Grandchildren:

If you haven’t yet made it to Target, they still have plenty of clothes, shoes, and toys on sale at my Target. I know each Target can vary but it’s probably worth checking out. It’s a great way to help your kids clothe your grandkids at a fraction of the cost! It's also a wonderful opportunity to stock up on wrapping paper for occasions throughout the year. Look for solid colors such as red, green, gold, silver, and blue. Right now they are running 75% off!

Here’s a great toy for grandkids. If you have a grandchild with autism, this is definitely one to check out. It's Toobeez, the ultimate life-size building set for ages 3-adult. As they put it – TOOBEEZ® are a WOW invention! A big building system to create super forts, castles, playhouses, puppet theaters, spaceships and so much more. They're like the beautiful GIANT Tinkertoys® of the 1970's. More importantly, they're developing the creative thinkers of tomorrow. It's good to interact with the kids, friends and family! Teachers and therapists also rave about Toobeez. Mainly because of the quality and the hundreds of structured activities for use with kids, teens, and adults. . Think of all the fun activities for grandparents and grandchildren you could come up with using these, while stimulating them educationally and creatively. And they are great for activities for autistic children. I’m definitely considering this for grandkids. Isn't this a cool helicopter:

A free piece of software your grandchildren might enjoy, that is also recommended for those with autism, is Sketchup.

Fun books for reading activities for grandparents and their grandchildren to read together are the Amelia Bedelia series! Here’s two we’ve been enjoying this month!

Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping (I Can Read Book 2)

Amelia Bedelia and the Baby (I Can Read Book 2)

Frugal trips and activities for grandparents and their grandchildren: If you are interested in treating your grandchildren to a trip to Disneyland or Disney World, they have a great deal if you go on someone’s birthday this year, 2009. 

If the grandkids are spending the night occasionally and you need to make school lunches, here’s a  great idea for making them faster and storing them easily.

Looking for a yummy dinner when the grandkids are over or you are making dinner for elderly parents? Here's a recipe for a yummy TriTip roast with rosemary. I passed it on to one of my daughters who tried it and gave it a big thumbs up! 

If you live in snow country and need to have quickly defrosted windshields to go help elderly parents or grandkids on a moment’s notice, here’s a frugal recipe for a de-Icer.

If you have adult children who are wondering what to do about their investments for 401k’s, IRAs, etc., Simple Dollar has some excellent advice for them.

If the economy is pinching you, pinch right back like MoneySavingMom. She saved $88 on her shopping trip this week with some great ways to save money. If you are over 50 and striving to be frugal, you can still have fun skiing thanks to AARP.

Encouragement – No authority exists without God's permission, and the existing authorities have been put there by God.

Caring for Elderly Parents:

Here’s a great article on helping seniors who live alone with their meal needs! I wish they had it in more places. That’s a big hint to all you entreprenuers out there!

Words of Encouragement -Those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! Sandwich Generation Health Information:

OK, no more bopping your head. You need to definitely drink that V8 or fruit juice. They’ve found it may delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease!

According to the BBC, via NerdNews, arthritis 'woes' are worse in women who may suffer more from rheumatoid arthritis than men. Talk about eye-popping!

Be sure to read this article, “Does Your Pharmacy Screw You Over on Rx Prices? Probably” WOW!! Thank you, MrElderCare, for finding that useful information!

They have found a link between lack of sleep and getting colds! Very useful information for senior home care givers. Unfortunately, it can also be hard to do for them to do. Especially those of us who are caring for more than one such as elderly parents and grandkids. Different needs often require different sleeping choices.

Encouragement – I rejoice in God's Word like one who finds great treasure.

Finally, and Just for Fun. Check out these fascinating cakes!

WOW! That's a lot of tips and useful resources for all of us in the Sandwich Generation dealing with the issues of caring for elderly parents as well as planning fun activities for grandparents and their grandchildren! What was your favorite?