365 Days of Colour - Flower of the Day 300 - 306

Development

Continuous development ensures growth.  The way in which you choose can be varied and can take on many forms.  Making sure you have a plan for the development will enable you to keep an eye on whats going on and what you need to do next....

Day 300

Reflection 

Keep going, your getting close, doors are opening.. 

Quote 

Enthusiasm is not an emotional state. It is a spiritual commitment, a loving surrender to our creative process. Enthusiasm (from the Greek, “filled with God”) is an ongoing energy supply tapped into the flow of life itself.  – Unknown 

Scripture 

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. Psalm 125:1

Day 301

Reflection 

You are blessed more than you know... 

Quote 

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time....Thomas Merton 

Scripture 

Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8

Day 302

Reflection 

You are a blessing to many 

Quote 

It’s kind of fun to do the impossible....Walt Disney 

Scripture 

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. Psalm 145:18

Day 303

Reflection  

Rejection is a part of life, don’t dwell in it, move on, don’t give up.. 

Quote 

Art should be something like a good armchair in which to rest from physical fatigue...Henri Matisse 

Scripture 

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1

Day 304

Reflection 

You inspire others by being you... 

Quote 

To love what you do and feel that it matters- how could anything be more fun? Katherine Graham 

Scripture 

I am still confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13

Day 305

Reflection 

The answers are there, you need to ask the right questions.... 

Quote 

These then are my last words to you: be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact. ...William James 

Scripture 

No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God  1 John 3:9

Day 306

Reflection 

Take time to renew and recharge your batteries 

Quote 

Art is like singing. Some do it better than others, but everyone can and should be doing it for their soul. ...Barbara Mason 

Scripture 

He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just.  A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He. Deuteronomy 32:4

J is for Judgement

I hated the thought of admitting I was finding hard to cope with my mums increasing memory loss, with a young son who didn’t understand why his mum had to stay at Grans practically 5 nights a week and the stress that it put on my own health.  I felt if I really admitted that I needed help that it was a sign of weakness...I should be able to look after my family after all!

What I realised as my experience of the illness grew was that despite what anyone thought  it wasn’t a sign of weakness admitting that I was finding it hard to carry on as it was.  The help was there you had to know how to shout loud enough and often enough and then it came in drips and drabs, but you had to keep shouting to let your voice be heard.

You also had to deal with the 'one label fits all' – as a carer it is hard to have a life outside of your role, your role defines you and when health professionals see you they don’t often have the time to see the life behind the tag of  'carer', what the person did or the life they had before they had to take on the role.  It's one of the things we have to guard against judging the situation without finding out all the facts and most of all we have to guard against the judgements we can make against ourselves.

Words so far....

A is for Alzheimer’s, B is for Behaviour, C is for Carer, D is for Dependant, E is for Enough, F is for Fear, G is for Guilt, H is for Health Professionals, I is for Identity

These posts are part of the A-Z Challenge taking place during the month of April.  I have been sharing about my experience as a carer to a mother with Dementia.  If you would like to know more join the Arts in Health Network and also check out my website for information on some of the work I have done with Creativity and Dementia.

I is for Identity

Holding on to your identity is important when you become a carer otherwise you can loose yourself in the role. We have so many lables within society that the true essence of who you are becomes a distant memory. There was a time in the early years of mums illness that I felt like the more I did for my mum the more I lost a piece of myself,  and was totally consumed.  It reminded me of the fragility of life, I knew that I had to hold on to who I was.

Growing up I was looking forward to relating to my mum as a mother myself, going to her for advice and sharing the joy of watching my children – her grandchildren grow up.  As a carer you loose your identity in society, the cared for have carers - an entity in themselves and many no longer have family members around.  Communities fragmented and the extended family becomes devalued and a thing of the past as the elderly are seen as a burdon, rather than filled with wisdom, memories and insight.

I found separating the roles helps and enables me to still enjoy my mothers company despite how dependant she becomes.

Words so far....

A is for Alzheimer’s, B is for Behaviour, C is for Carer, D is for Dependant, E is for Enough, F is for Fear, G is for Guilt, H is for Health Professionals

These posts are part of the A-Z Challenge taking place during the month of April.  I have been sharing about my experience as a carer to a mother with Dementia.  If you would like to know more join the Arts in Health Network and also check out my website for information on some of the work I have done with Creativity and Dementia.

H is for Health Professionals

Since becoming a carer I deal with a wide variety of health professionals.  The journey has been like a walking through a maze with different routes and hoops to jump and never ending forms to complete whenever you need to make a request.  Every year the policies change and new procedures developed - new roads to venture down, mountains to climb and further cuts to services that impact on carers and those they care for.

I have met those who really want to assist you but their hands are tied by beaurocracy and according the form that took two hours to complete you didn’t score enough points even though they can see that there is a need.  They will actively look for solutions to the problems.

I have also come across those who as far as they are concerned putting mum in a home is the best option giving them one less client to worry about.  I gave up trying to convince the social worker who suggested this. I asked her how mum could be better off in an environment where there were 15 - 20 residents to 1 or 2 members of staff as opposed to the 1:1 care in her own home she persisted in her suggestions telling me how well the homes were monitored.  That very week in the papers was a scandal that identified how many residents had been mistreated in a home in the same borough that my mum lived.  - "Ok" I said "I will give it some thought", worried about the recommendations she would put on mums file if I was totally honest with what I thought of her idea.  Obviously if a care home is a choice that you have to make after research and weighing up your situation then you do it without feeling badgered into the decision.

You need to make sure you get as much information as possible about services available so that you can access them.  When mum first went to the day care centre she hated it, saying it was full of old people who weren't well, after a while it became an outlet for her rather than being stuck in the house, as far as she is concerned now she is going to work and helping others!

Sometimes we can get so bogged down with the role and what people might think of us not coping that we are frightened to let others in. I used to wonder if anyone else could look after mum the way I could - I became the expert.  Know that you can make room despite the circumstances, and the appearance of things, you have to learn how to ask, and ask again and, and keep asking because the help and the answers are out there!

Words so far....

A is for Alzheimer’s, B is for Behaviour, C is for Carer, D is for Dependant, E is for Enough, F is for Fear, G is for Guilt, 

These posts are part of the A-Z Challenge taking place during the month of April.  I have been sharing about my experience as a carer to a mother with Dementia.  If you would like to know more join the Arts in Health Network and also check out my website for information on some of the work I have done with Creativity and Dementia.