Last week's blog was about how useful the internet is for caregivers. What wasn't mentioned were some of my favorite blogs and websites. I've posted blogs/articles from the first two (with their permission, of course) and used the information from all of the others for my own blogs at various times.
Lewy Warriors by Lisa Cooke. An active caregiver, Lisa doesn't post very often but when she does, it is well worth reading. The thing that I really love about her posts is that she gets her whole support group involved. She asks them to complete a sentence like "The biggest mistake I ever made in my caregiving duties was ..." and then posts a composite of the answers. (The most common answer to that question was "not getting help soon enough.") Her latest is "Caregiving has taught me..." I can't wait to see the results of this one!
Learning to Live with Lewy Body Dementia (lewybodydementia.ca) by Timothy Hudson. This Canadian does a wonderful job collecting all kinds of interesting information about LBD caregiving. The novice to the old hand will both find value here. One of my favorites is his "Top 10 Priorities After Lewy Body Dementia Daignosis. (These are non-medical...the ones people often wish they'd considered when it is too late to do them anymore.)
Aging Care.com. This site is apparently run by volunteers. It isn't just about LBD, but many of its articles are applicable. For instance, its latest newsletter listed an article about "6 Ways o Prepare for 'The Talk' About Moving to Senior Living." They also offer ideas about nutrition, and just about anything else that concerns us seniors. Besides articles, they offer readers the opportunity to be a part of their community by asking questions, participating in forums and joining discussion groups.
Next Avenue.com, published by Twin Cities Public Television. This site advertises itself as "public media's first and only national service for America's booming older population. They have some good, usually quite short articles. A recent one, called "One Simple Word Holds the Key to a Simpler Life" was a good reminder for me to re-evaluate how much I take on and consider if I really want to do it. The downside of this site is that it is littered with ads. Be careful what you click on--it may be an ad instead of an article.
Grandparents.com. This site is sponsored by the American Grandparents Association, and is of course, another non-LBD, non-caregiver specific site. But there are lots of very apt articles here. One of the great things about this site is that it really IS designed for seniors. It's easy to read, even with my failing eyes, and there are lots of graphics. Like Next Avenue, it does have ads however.
Barking Up The Wrong Tree (http://www.bakadesuyo.com) by Eric Barker. This site isn't even elder-specific. But it is one of my favorite go-to sites when I want to learn more about living a more positive life--something pretty important for caregivers. Eric says his site "brings you science-based answers and expert insight on how to be awsome at life." He does a great job of this. I've recently used his site to learn about the value of laughter, gratitude, and relationships. He doesn't just tell us what works, he goes into the nitty-gritty and tells us why. For instance, laughter is helpful because it triggers dopamine, a "feel good" hormone. Uh, oh, no wonder a person with PD might have difficulty finding something funny: Lewy bodies steal their dopamine! (No, Eric didn't mention LBD. I just put what he said with what I know. That reminds me of PD's Big and Loud exercises. I wonder if laughing a lot, even if you don't think it is funny would help? It helps others. Eric told me so.
If you have a favorite site, be sure to comment and let us know about it and why.
For information about Lewy body disorders, read our books:
A Caregivers’ Guide to Lewy Body Dementia
Managing Cognitive Issues in Parkinson’s & Lewy BodyDementia
Helen and James Whitworth are not doctors. As informed caregivers, they share the information here for educational purposes only. It should never be used instead of a physician's advice.
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