“Does Mother have Alzheimer’s or do I?” was a refrain that frequently ran through my mind when I’d encounter a difficult day with Mother.  Or it simply might be the culmination of a day filled with multiple activities, including those of caring for Mother, plus lack of sleep.

Have you ever doubted your sanity, when the stress of caregiving, plus the other tasks of involving work, family, and homemaking filled the day?  Here are a few idea that might help you keep your sanity. 

1.  Look for the humor in the situation.  There is more than you realize if you take the time to see it.

2.  Realize your Alzheimer’s patient isn’t necessarily striking out at you…just at the situation they find themself in.  Don’t take all the complaints personally.

3.  Ask for help from family, friends, and caregiver groups.  Often they are willing to help but don’t know how.  (Some may refuse, but don’t let that stop you from seeking help from others.)

4.  Learn all you can about the disease and caregiving; realize you’re not alone.

5.  Find a caregiver support group.  If there isn’t one locally, look online.

6.  Enjoy small pleasures with your Alzheimer’s family member. 

 7.  Carve out time for yourself…it’s a necessity…even if in small segments.  Take a relaxing bath.  Work in the garden.  Begin scrapbooking and include the family member in your reminiscing. 

8.  Find day care for your family member or see if there is someone who will come to your home and sit with him/her for a few hours.

9.   Listen to music or watch a movie.  This often will relax and occupy the patient, too.

10.  Learn to take cat naps when your parent/spouse is sleeping, just as you did when children were small.

Bonus Tip:  Read Kathy’s KnowItAlz.com Blog daily.  You’ll find a kindred spirit!

Not every one of these tips may work for you (except Kathy’s bonus).  However, see if some will to help you keep your sanity and find enjoyment in life and in your family member/patient.  As you read through them and see if they will apply to your situation, other ideas may come to mind.      

    Let me know what works for you.  I’d love to post a list of tips that my readers share with me.

Post from: Blisstree

10 Tips for Maintaining Alzheimer’s Caregiver Sanity

Your Specialty Home Based Alzheimer’s Bookstore

You’re all fired up to start your own specialist home based bookstore. You’ve chosen your topic, and decided whether your market is face to face customers, web based, or both. Either way, you’ll need books, business savvy and some bookstore operating know how.

Reader Questions – Bookstore Operating Know How

As a follow up to Mary Emma’s post,  Would you like to open a home based Alzheimer’s bookstore?,  Kathy from Know It Alz says a bookstore could be a great addition to her blog. She asks “How do I get permission to resell the books on my website? How many do you have to sell to get a good discount, etc.?”

My Response – Publisher Discounts & Trading Terms

Kathy, I’m assuming you’re referring to selling new books. My suggestion is to choose one or two publishers with a good range of Alzheimer’s related titles, and ask them to send you an account application. Find out their trading terms. While terms vary, many publishers have a starting discount of 30-40% and a minimum order requirement of $150-$300.

As your bookstore business grows, and you have a higher turnover with a particular publisher, you may be able to renegotiate discounts. This may include special one off terms e.g. a higher discount for a very large quantity firm sale (no return).

Why Just One or Two Publishers?

If a customer orders a book you don’t have in stock, you’ll need to put in your minimum order. If you repeat this with a number of suppliers, you can soon end up with a supply which far outweighs demand. You can always add more publishers as you grow.

Remaindered Books – A Good Discount Book Source

Remaindered books in bargain bookstores and factory outlets are usually cheap enough to allow room to add your own profit margin. If you come across a great title, grab a few copies and sell them at a special price or at full price. You can also use them as prizes or for value adding.

Check that they don’t have a remaindered stripe on the book itself before you buy. Often these books have been cleared out from the publishers, only because they didn’t sell well in mainstream bookstores. They may be perfect for you.

Ebook on Starting a Home Based Specialty Bookstore

This basic advice related to Kathy’s Alzheimer’s bookstore applies equally to any home based specialty bookstore. I am in the process of writing an ebook on starting a home based specialty bookstore, so feel free to ask any further questions or make suggestions in the comments here. If you are interested in being notified when the ebook is available, you can contact me using the contact form at my blog.

Yvonne Russell is a freelance writer who blogs at Grow Your Writing Business , Home Biz Notes and Small Biz Mentor. She has operated and sold a number of businesses including an award winning bookstore, which started life as a home based bookstore. She is also the director of The People People, a small training and development business.

Post from: Blisstree

Your Specialty Home Based Alzheimer’s Bookstore – Publisher Discount Basics

Sharing with others, hearing about their experiences, and looking at Alzheimer’s care from their viewpoint also helps us when we think we can’t go another day.  I enjoy so much, Kathy’s stories, at her KnowItalz blog, about the lighter side of caring for her dad with Alzheimer’s.  I know I had to look for the humor in situations with my mom and aunt for all of us to get through our days. 

 I wish I’d had Kathy to correspond with at that time.  Just reading her stories about their life with her dad brighten my day even though I’m no longer an Alzheimer’s caregiver.

           Find a way to deal with your stress…take a walk, start a blog, correspond with other caregivers, visit resources such as Liz provides.

Post from: Blisstree

Stress – a Great Concern for Alzheimer’s Caregivers