New Year - New Mission

No more New Year's resolutions for me!  Instead, I'm going to call them missions.  And after attending the funeral this morning of a lovely lady who left us much too soon, my primary mission is, more than ever, to provide the finest caregivers and personal assistants Southcentral Kentucky has ever seen to all of the special people who we might be able to help. 

It's such an easy thing to say "my dad will be fine this week, so I'll think about getting someone to help him with the grocery or the laundry next week", and then next week becomes next month and before you know it, dad needs so much more.  Starting early with companions to keep our parents and grandparents engaged and active, who can then move into the role of caregiver when it's needed, is a vital step toward keeping those older adults we love in their homes longer and independent to as great a degree as possible.

Sometimes I look at my mom's hands and I wonder how many diapers they've changed, how many tears they've dried, how many rear ends they've swatted, how many pies they've baked, how many sheets they've changed, and how many hugs they've given.  And I look at my own hands and wonder how I will ever do the many things I should do to achieve my mission.  But I will try - my mom's mission has always been to care for others and now mine is also.  If only my hands were as skilled as hers!

Memories Lost and Found

I love the holidays!  Filled with memories, time with family and friends, great tastes and smells - it doesn't get any better!  But for families of those who are losing their memories, the holidays can be bittersweet.  It becomes more and more important to engage on a daily basis our loved ones suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's, and to reenforce the comfort of past events and traditions even more strongly than we normally would.

Consistency is a key element of slowing the progress of these illnesses, along with medications and repetitive therapies which show the same faces, words and situations over and over again.  It is also vital to reduce agitation and stressful incidents.  So don't make a big deal over who sits where at the dinner table, as long as your ailing loved one knows the faces and is comfortable with the arrangement.  Don't get all wound up about whether the gifts are opened one at a time while everyone watches and oohs and aahs.  Get more wound up about having the opportunity to present someone with a photo album or memory book of special people, vacations and holiday gatherings - things that will actually prompt a remembrance and a smile.

We know there is not presently a way to stop the progression of the illnesses, but there will always be ways to make our loved ones know how valued they are right now and right here.  Ask them to tell stories of holidays when they were growing up, record them, take pictures, have them identify people in old photos.  Embrace these times with all your might and store these memories for yourself.  By being a little selfish in our desire to learn more about our elders and keep those stories for our own children, we are also being selfless in our desire to bind these generations together. 

Memories are priceless, but even priceless things can be lost.  Take the time this holiday season to make sure your priceless memories are preserved and to make sure your priceless loved ones are honored.  The holidays are the perfect time!

Time Flies

It's an old saying, but oh so true - time flies!  And it flies whether we're having fun or not, so we might as well make the most of it.  Today I attended my niece's college softball signing ceremony, and darned if she wasn't actually a young woman standing up there instead of that baby girl with the Fischer Price ball machine and child's plastic bat.  What happened?

Our most precious commodity is not oil or gas or gold or silver.  The most precious gift we have is time, and it is the one commodity we tend to waste without a second thought.  We put off the time we could be spending with family, we create stress by making our to-do lists miles long when we could just as easily hire someone to do some of those things for us, and we fail to value the little moments that can leave lasting memories.

My daughter is a junior in high school now, and sometimes I could kick myself for wasting time arguing with her about what she's going to wear to school when I could be imparting all of my wisdom to her instead.  On second thought, I shouldn't kick myself because I'm trying to make a point - making a good impression involves many things, including looking neat and somewhat like you haven't slept in your clothes.  And if a few of my moments are spent making a point, I guess I'm good with that.

I do wonder how many minutes I have wasted, though, when we could have been making memories.  Timesavers is about allowing families to make their own memories, giving them the freedom to allow someone else to do the mundane things that take time away from loved ones, and encouraging the time families spend together to be special times rather than stressful times.

I'm a big believer in things happening for a reason, and I know grace is what led me to this business, to helping people and trying to make a difference in their lives, just like so many people have made a difference in my and my family's lives.  Because of the power of grace, I give thanks this week for all my blessings, including the blessing of time, and I renew my commitment to making the most of every minute of it.  Won't you join me?  Don't let time fly past you - grab it and hold on tight!

Boost Me Please

Organization is a difficult concept.  I do a great job of organizing other people, but need other people to organize me!  Because of my own challenges, I understand the need for someone whom we wouldn't ordinarily think of as in need of a personal assistant needing that very special person who can keep them on track, on schedule and involved.

A lovely lady asked me the other day if we provided an escort service.  After I giggled oh, so immaturely, I thought for a minute and told her that, although we didn't call it an escort service, it was exactly what we provided.  Because whether we call it a personal assistant, an escort, an organizer, a keeper of the schedule, or any other moniker, it all amounts to the same thing - we help someone be where they want to be when they want to be there and then make sure they get to the next place safely and on time, too!  All the while, we try to make sure our clients' homes run just as smoothly.

I appear to be my teenage daughter's personal assistant and keeper of the schedule, so I know it's a complex job requiring patience and a special skill set.  And we know that many of our clients who are transitioning in their lives need just a little boost when it comes to the energy that allows them to stay involved, engaged, and going strong.  So we try to match our specially skilled staff with our very special clients and voila - we've made the difference that matters!  Give us a try - we think you'll agree!

Lucky Girl

When my daughter was very young, she would roam from door to door in our neighborhood, ring the bell and ask "Do any kids live here?"  Now, I knew she was lonely sometimes being an only child, but really - door to door seeking of playmates seemed a bit much!  What she got in the process, though, was something so much more wonderful and longlasting than an afternoon of playing games.  My daughter's persistence ultimately gave her at least two sets of surrogate grandparents, two couples who have loved her, followed her growth, encouraged and counseled her, and treated her just like they do their own grandchildren. 

My daughter was very lucky to have three grandparents until just last year.  Since that time, she has lost two of them.  But she has always embraced with great gusto the grandchild/grandparent relationship, and has grown up knowing it doesn't have to be limited to blood relationships.

One thing I try to do with Timesavers is carry over the feeling of family that is so precious to me.  Our whole team tries to make sure all of our older clients know they are valuable to us and that we appreciate everything they have brought and will continue to bring to the world. 

Now I don't go around knocking on doors randomly looking for someone to play with, but I hope my philosophy about the older people in the world reflects the fact that I enjoy their company and think they have a great story to tell and a great contribution to make to young people like my daughter.  I know my daughter has been given a great gift by her surrogate grandparents and all of those people who have been kind enough to allow her into their lives.  I hope we can all be so lucky.

Autumnal Advice

Autumn might be my favorite time of year.  The perfect temperatures, the beautiful colors, the upcoming holidays - all combine for a nice, warm feeling inside.  But it can also mean extra yard work, lengthy honey-do lists, and multiple trips to the garden or home store.

Balancing what should be enjoyed with what has to be done is a difficult task that can create far more stress than it's worth.  So think of your time this way - if you spend 5 hours cleaning gutters, raking and bagging leaves, and trimming shrubs, then spend an hour in a warm shower and a rubdown with muscle balm, then are too exhausted and sore to go to the evening's dinner with friends, bonfire or football game - well, what have you gained?  You've saved a few dollars, but you've lost something much more valuable.

Time is a treasured commodity, and the time we are able to spend with family and friends has a value beyond any dollar amount.  Timesavers wants your time to be spent in a way that is most fulfilling for you and your family, and we are here to help! 

When you look at your yard, look at the rake, look at the ladder, and look at the clock, just turn around and pick up the phone.  The dollars you spend on Timesavers services will be insignificant compared to the time and freedom you will gain to spend making memories and enjoying those people you might not see often or who might be getting on in years. 

It's all a balancing act, so make sure your beautiful autumnal season is filled with just the right balance.  You won't regret it.

Making Smiles From Sandwiches

When I heard about the sandwich generation for the first time, I assumed I was part of it.  I, being the fourth of five children, had parents a little older than most of my friends' parents, and I, being a late starter having children, am the parent of a teenager.  So I am sandwiched between  having the privilege of helping my mom out when I can and running my daughter hither and yon.

When I allowed myself to delve a little deeper, though, I realized that every generation is a sandwich generation - my generation just thinks of it through more of a me-centered prism.  I never gave it a second thought when my grandmothers lived with us while I was growing up.  Multiple generations living together used to be a way of life, and it was a way of life that benefited everyone.

More families with two breadwinners have definitely made it more difficult for everyone to live together, but there is still no shortage of families caring for children and assisting with the needs of aging parents at the same time.  I think we just look at it much more now from the perspective of the stress it places on the caregivers, and rightly so.  Faster paced lives, more activities, the need to be everywhere at once - it can all seem just too much.

While caregiving is a great responsibility, it is also such a gift!  I wouldn't trade my days of playing cards with my mother's mother or sitting next to her at church stroking the fox fur around her neck while she slipped me cherry lifesavers; nor would I give up my memories of sitting at my father's mother's vanity playing with the bright red lipstick and stark white powder while she cooked cornbread and beans for dinner.  

Timesavers came to be from a very specific philosophy - when we are able to help families who are stretched too thin from a time standpoint, and when we find the right caregivers to build a trust relationship with our clients, we are enhancing the lives of both our clients and our caregivers.  We are a service based in finding the ways to make a family's time spent with loved ones the very best of times, the times from which their memories will bring smiles for years and generations to come.  We are a service intended to make the difference that matters.