I’ve been receiving comments at former blogs  regarding caregiving, Alzheimer’s and quilts.  I now write these at b5’s  Blisstree and would like to share the information received from readers.  I hope you’ll find it interesting and informative.
To my post, Design a Touch Quilt for Alzheimer’s Patients, one of my readers pointed me to Eva’s Loving Touch Lap Quilts.  Here we learn about the Alzheimer’s patient’s need for tactile or sensory stimulation and comfort. 
This reminds me how much my aunt seemed to need the sensation of something comforting to rub her hands over as she sat in her rocking chair.  My mother, in …read more

One of my readers commented on my post, Parenting More Than Our Children, that few things prepare us for the role reversal of caring for our parents.  Often we’re caring for our own children, too.
I agree.  I wasn’t prepared, and it seems so strange at first. However, I learned to enjoy Mother and Auntie as they journeyed through their Alzheimer’s world. There were frustrations, disappointments, but rewards, too. My daughter and her children’s lives are richer, as well, by caring for these ladies. The memories are often bittersweet, but this was a stage in their lives that I hoped we made easier for …read more

Througout our lifetime, we often end up caring for, or “parenting,” more than our children. I became the caretaker for my mom and my aunt.  I helped care for my dad and my uncle.  I assisted with my mother-in-law.
We don’t think, when we’re raising our children that we may become caregivers for those who once cared for us.  We don’t make plans for this and it often hits unawares.
Auntie became my responsibility after my mom could no longer care for her.  She lived with my parents for more than a year when another relative couldn’t cope with Auntie’s Alzheimer’s …read more