by Willow Tree | Feb 12, 2018 | Guest post, Sparks2Enrich
They say that music is good for the soul, but can it also benefit seniors’ health and help to uplift their mood? As your loved ones get older, many things can affect their mood and make them feel down. They may need to depend more on family and caregivers, making them...
by Willow Tree | Dec 22, 2017 | Self-care, Time4Me
The light of caregiving seems a natural progression from our last post highlighting the gifts of caregiving. To survive our roles, it is important we take time for ourselves and keep up a positive perspective. This positive perspective, this light is our focus. What...
by Willow Tree | Dec 15, 2017 | Time4Me
Many address the challenges of caregiving but say little about the benefits of being a caregiver. Fact is, when we take time for ourselves, there are several benefits or gifts we receive as caregivers. Here are four of them: Gift of relationship Whether we are a...
by Willow Tree | Dec 1, 2017 | Self-care, Time4Me
Planning to be ill? No, thank you. I need to skip that this year. Yes, we try to stay well. But, life (or should I say illness) happens. Here are a few tidbits on preparing to be ill as a caregiver. Summary of the 8 tips Maintain a list of folks for on-call support....
by Willow Tree | Nov 10, 2017 | Self-care, Time4Me
It is important we as caregivers ask for help. There are a few treats of asking along with a few tricks to sizing. Self-care involves asking for assistance. Our perspective on asking is key. Dealing with the size or duration can feel tricky. In the previous drip we...
by Willow Tree | Nov 3, 2017 | Self-care, Time4Me
Many caregivers struggle to ask for assistance. Once we do, we may struggle with doubts. Among those “am I asking too much?”. How do we determine whether an ask is too little, too big, or just right? (Sounds a little like Goldilocks on asking.) We need to...
by Willow Tree | Oct 27, 2017 | Essential Oils, Self-care, Time4Me
We know we as caregivers are only human. Part of our humanness is errors and failures. This fact allows fear to creep in. We fear we will fail at caregiving. It is what we do with and within that fear that matters. How do you deal with fear of failure? Present...
by Willow Tree | Oct 20, 2017 | Essential Oils, Self-care, Time4Me
Often caregivers aren’t in a situation where they can just leave. A child can’t be left alone, an ill person requires help, there is no one available to cover the care if you step away. How do you release tension? Releasing tension is part of...
by Willow Tree | Oct 13, 2017 | Self-care, Time4Me
Caregiving puts a strain on balance. Doctors appointments, care, your work, house work, ACK!!! How do you balance all of it? We need to include self-care but how do you add that to your already long to do list? Balance. Summary 1. List the categories to address: care,...
by Willow Tree | Oct 26, 2016 | Sparks2Enrich
November is Caregiver Month. It is a wonderful reminder to support caregivers. It has been my privilege to work as a music therapist working in senior living communities. There I have able to support people of all abilities and backgrounds. Often I dealt with issues...
