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Time: Flies By In The Blink Of A Hospital Stay
I’m sorry it’s been quite a while since my last 1 Day 1 Week article. There are various reasons. One is that I was focusing on the Caregiving Insights podcast and have posted four episodes. With otherwise limited time, I simply couldn’t find the hours to write/edit/proof/post/promote an article. Also, the holidays and traveling/getting away from caregiving a week ago for the first time since November 2019 was a factor. Upon landing back in Florida on Monday, I received a text from my mom telling me that my dad was being taken to the ER because of chest pain. Welcome home! The Cliff’s Notes version – he had atrial flutter and then atrial fibrillation, which led to a heart ablation procedure. It appears to have worked…
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Patient Advocacy & The Co-Creation Experience
A happy, healthy wish to everyone from 1 Day 1 Week! It’s been weeks since the last post, which was intentional considering folks were busy with the holidays and I took some overdue self-care. Now it’s time to gear up for a great 2022, bringing you many more podcasts and articles about caregiving and patient advocacy! As we step into the new year, our YouTube channel Caregiving Insights is off to a great start! I’m excited to have just posted Episode #4: Patient Advocacy & The Co-Creation Experience. In this episode, I have an insightful conversation with Dr. Valerie Williams-Sanchez. Valerie and I worked together 25 years ago for a company named Medical Data International and we’ve had extensive conversations over the years about patient…
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Healing Through The Arts (caregivers, hospitals, anyone!)
The healing referred to in this episode is about nourishing the soul. Patients and caregivers have their individual and intertwined journeys that are so often depleting. The arts are a beautiful gift to nourish oneself and those we care for. How is this accomplished? How can a hospital be involved? A family? Todd “TJ” Keitz, Creator/Chief Blogger of www.1day1week.com, explores these questions and much more with Joy Javits, Founder of DooR to DooR of UNC Healthcare in Chapel Hill. Since starting this organization 28 years ago, Joy has brought the arts to patients, caregivers, and staff in hospitals and other healthcare facilities to help the healing process. Joy’s background as a dancer and choreographer, as well as the daughter of the long-time respected U.S. Senator…
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Perspectives on Caregiving & Patient Advocacy: A Podcast
There are so many things to consider regarding caregiving and patient advocacy! Whether you are already in one or both of these roles, or you may be in the future (to whatever extent), this episode provides important insight. This is Episode #2 on our new YouTube channel, Caregiving Insights. I explore these topics from various angles with Cori Kasten, Founder/CEO of Platinum Select Nursing in South Florida. For the past 14 years, Cori has built a successful business born out of genuine caring for her clients and passion for doing things the right way, all starting with one client who believed in her ability to change the world. In the first half of this episode, we discuss topics such as in-home care, healthcare technology, and…
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Thanksgiving: Heartfelt Messages For Caregivers & The Cared For
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I’m sorry for the delay posting a new entry on 1 Day 1 Week. One reason was because I focused on launching our new podcast series, Caregiving Insights. The first episode that went up on November 8th is with Pat Samples, an awesome author and thought leader on various topics, including caregivers finding peace of mind along their journeys. I’ve also recorded an additional four episodes, with one to be posted on our Podcast page and new YouTube channel every other week through the end of the year. Another part of the delay has been life – it’s been a heavy two weeks. Not so much from the physical caregiving perspective, although that’s coming again. More so from a healthcare standpoint. We…
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Our New Podcast Has Launched
NOVEMBER 12, 2021 Yay!! After lots of planning, the new podcast has officially launched! Caregiving Insights will be an ongoing podcast series, bringing you different perspectives on a wide array of interesting topics. Our guests will include thought leaders from healthcare, business, and nonprofits, as well as caregivers, patient advocates, patients, and others. Each will share unique insights from their vantage points — about caregiving, patient advocacy, and life. As with our blog, the podcast is intended to: to provide greater understanding about caregiving and patient advocacy. to effect change in the U.S. and around the globe through helping to build bridges within families and communities. to help the movement for economic changes in support of the millions of people who take on the roles…
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Music, Oh Sweet Music: Soundtracks For Caregivers & Life
MUSIC… As described in Britannica, “it is an art that, in one guise or another, permeates every human society.” At the same time, it would not be a stretch to say that in some way, on some level, music permeates the soul of every human being. When you think about it – no matter what genres we enjoy, music is an indelible part of our lives from the time we are kids and will be until the day we leave this earth. We are outright moved by the power of a favorite artist’s voice, lyrics, rhythm, and melodies. Live performances, streaming services, CDs, vinyl records…we have many mediums to choose from. Over and above that, music is integrated within a myriad of things that touch…
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Caregiver Trends In The U.S. Indicate Grave Concern: Figuratively Speaking
1 Day 1 Week is two months old this weekend and it will be the first time we get to experience November’s National Family Caregiver’s Month with you. This is a perfect time to review the U.S. caregiving landscape. Before doing so, I want to share with you some exciting news. As I’ve mentioned in previous email updates and weekly blog posts such as last week’s Music: Uplifting Caregivers & Patient Advocates, One Song At A Time, two new features are being developed. Well, we’re ahead of schedule with the first one! We’ve pushed to make that happen and it will appropriately launch during National Family Caregiver’s Month. This new feature is an ongoing podcast series focused on anything and everything, related to caregiving and…
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Music: Uplifting Caregivers & Patient Advocates, One Song At A Time
Hi everyone! Well, I had planned on writing my usual weekly blog post of 1,500 to 3,000 words. But, as caregivers/patient advocates know, what’s planned for a week often takes on a life of its own and free time becomes fleeting. This past week was one of those for me. While this post is shorter than usual, I hope it’s just as enjoyable, informative, and thought-provoking. Since last Sunday’s post about burnout, it’s been seven days of up, down, and all around…many times. On the caregiving/patient advocating for my parents side of life, there were doctor appointments to schedule (both future and urgent), transportation to appointments, lab work to be reviewed, medication to pick up, special new dietary restrictions to consider, preparing meals, research about…
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The Road to Burnout City & Back: A Caregiver’s Perspectives & Practical Tips
Where to begin? Let me start by sharing that I am thankfully not burned out right now, so this post won’t be written from a place of complete exhaustion. That said, there’s no mistaking I have experienced an extreme burnout once along my caregiver/patient advocate journey since June 2018 – not to mention what I’ll call mini-burnouts. Regardless, I haven’t forgotten how I felt, though a sense of feeling for me was especially difficult to access at those times. It’s often said that burnout is right at the top of concerns for caregiver/patient advocates, but not necessarily by them. I believe the reasons for that are as endless as personalities, but there seems to be a common thread. Caregiver/patient advocates are fueled by easing…
