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What Does A Patient’s Dream Medical Office Look Like?

November 7, 2012 By 9 Comments
WHAT DOES A PATIENT'S DREAM MEDICAL OFFICE LOOK LIKE? Patients everywhere may disagree on waterfalls or colors, but we all know we want it to be comfortable and as clean as possible. And a vibrating massage chair and some chocolate wouldn't be bad either. This article shares the wish list of ideas from patients with a chronic illness. #NHBPM @wegohealth @Lisa Copen

Have you ever walked into a medical office and thought, if I see one more waterfall or People magazine I am going to scream? WEGO Health asks for their daily writing challenge “if you could, how would you redesign a medical office?" Day #7. Lisa Copen The medical office. The exam room. The hospital. Oh, how we would like to get our decorator's ideas out at some of those places where we spend so much time. I asked some of you what your dream medical office would look like and some of your answers were the exact opposite of one another. For example, some of you liked the water fountains found in many offices, others of you said you hated those. Maybe you have heard too much water trickling right before painful procedures and its … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Articles - Read, Doctor, Founder's Blog, Medical Professional, Organizing, This is Me, What's New?

How to Organize Your Kitchen So Things Stop Falling On Your Feet

October 22, 2012 By 4 Comments
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Many of my bruises occur because of dropping things on my feet and last week I opened the freezer to have half a frozen chicken fall on my toe. I literally still have a purple toe, eight days later. However, I have been taking steps in the last year to declutter, organize, and basically simplify life. I thought over the next few months I would share some of these things I have done to try to make life more organized--which means I spend less time looking for things, cleaning things, putting things away and so much more. About 5 months into my journey of decluttering I found Pinterest.com and it has helped me stay motivated when I grow frustrated with how to organize the messes. You can find them here: Lisa's Pinterest Page | Rest … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Cooking, Organizing, What's New?

Clever Idea! Make a Pill Box Out of a Crafty Bead Box

March 7, 2012 By 2 Comments
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Are your medications and vitamins overwhelming you? I have 4 pillbox holders that I fill up 2 weeks at a time for morning and evening. But all the other bottles have been disorganized. And as much as I try to stay up on getting refills, some are last minute or I even miss a day. None of them seem to run out at the same time. We have a "drug drawer" in the kitchen with a lock. But as the rest of the family has added vitamins and medication over the years, my medications have suddenly become mixed in with everyone elses. So every time I spent 5 minutes going through 15 bottles looking for a particular one I think, "There has got to be a better way!" And. . . There is! Check this out! Can you guess what it is? It is a bead … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles - Read, Founder's Blog, Hobbies-Crafts, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Videos, What's New? Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How In The World Do You Find Joy When Talking to A Medical Bill Collector?

June 27, 2011 By 1 Comment
HOW TO STAY SANE WHEN TALKING TO MEDICAL BILL COLLECTORSl Ugh! this has got to be one of my all-time LEAST favorite things to do as they talk in circles, tranfer you around, cut you off, mess up the figures. Here are some tips on not losing your mind--or your temper.

If you have a chronic illness, odds are you have spoken to a bill collector. Whether it is from a hospital, doctor, pharmacy, insurance or collections office, it can be very frustrating. How do you find joy? By Lisa Copen Sixteen months after I had four joints replaced in my hand I received a large bill that looked like a duplicate of one I had already paid. The name on the bill however, was "Joe." My husband's name (who carried the insurance) is Joel. I called the surgery center and explained that I believed there were two accounts and one was a duplicate of the other. The woman in accounting didn't believe so. "That is just how it is addressed," she explained. The bill is for Joel." "No," I replied. "Everything on this bill says … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advocacy, Articles, Founder's Blog, Organizing, What's New? Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Carrying Super Rachel – The Logistics of When Your Wife Is Chronically Ill

May 30, 2011 By 4 Comments
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By Matt Horne Caring for a chronically ill wife is not what I had envisioned when I was working up the nerve to ask out "that hot girl" who would later become my wife. We were in college and she was on the cross country team. She let me know very early on in the relationship that she had a chronic illness. Nowadays, it's just part of life. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't know what to do with myself if she were well. There's a reason I call her "Super Rachel." On her good days, she can run circles around me--cleaning, getting things checked off her to-do list, and having tons of fun. She's amazing. On top of that, she has the greatest attitude and rarely lets her condition get her down. As her dad says, she's an "overcomer." Instead … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Cooking, Coping Skills, Love, Marriage, Organizing, Person w/ Illness, Person w/ lll Spouse, Share Your Story Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Finding Joy and Depth in Relationships Despite Chronic Pain

April 29, 2011 By 2 Comments
FINDING JOY AND DEPTH IN RELATIONSHIPS WHEN YOU ARE CHRONICALLY ILL:

If you are having trouble finding joy and depth in your relationships--and even life itself--you are not alone. Mary Yerkes Of course, no discussion of simple living would be complete without addressing relationships. Relationships matter. A lot. I met with my friend Robbie for lunch this week, and the issue of relationships came up. He made an observation that captivated me. He said many of us go through life like skipping stones. Do you remember skipping stones as a child? The pastime involves throwing a stone with a flattened surface across a lake or other body of water in such a way that it bounces off the surface of the water. Robbie describes it this way, "Many of us are skipping rocks in our relationship with God and one … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Coping Skills, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Person w/ Illness, What's New? Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Decluttering Life When You are Chronically Ill

April 28, 2011 By 4 Comments
DECLUTTERING LIFE WHEN YOU ARE CHRONICALLY ILL:

Everyone is decluttering life right now - it's a new trendy term. But for one who is chronically ill decluttering life can mean significantly improving your quality of life you have to live. Personally, I've made several significant changes to my life over the past year, all of which fall under the category of moving toward a more simple, meaningful life that supports my life purpose and gives me the time and energy I need to focus of what I value most. I have not yet arrived, but I am headed in the right direction. Here is the first significant change I've made over the past year, along with the benefits this, and the change I share with you tomorrow, brought: Home as Sanctuary For most of my life, I viewed my home as a quick place to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Coping Skills, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Person w/ Illness, What's New? Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Intentional Living for the Chronically Ill

April 27, 2011 By 3 Comments
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What exactly is intentional living and how on earth do you do it when you have a chronic illness and nothing seems to be in your control? By Mary J. Yerkes Simple living can seem elusive. In a world focused on achieving and accumulating more and bumper stickers that read, "He who dies with the most toys wins," the reality of simple living seems like some pie-in-the sky ambition, a trend. Despite the proliferation of products, books, magazines, classes, and organizational systems guaranteed to simplify our lives, most of us continue to hurry through live, pursuing activities and making purchases that ultimately add to life's clutter. There has to be a better way. As my rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune diseases have worsened over … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Coping Skills, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Person w/ Illness, What's New? Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Illness Can Help Us Get Creative in Problem Solving

November 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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By Rhonda Sawtelle I’ve been busy unpacking in my “new” place. I’m enjoying the remodel results. The unpacking has been moving slowly for several reasons: (1) my pain level can’t take too much at one time: (2) I’m rearranging things. I decided while packing up my apartment, that this would be the time to reevaluate what I have where and why. Throughout the years, I’ve worked on getting things which help keep my pain level lower: sleep number bed in the bedroom, a high table in the kitchen, a shelving unit putting things within my reach (my pantry), and most recently the daybed and new mattress in the living room. Yet, I didn’t think through where things were put and how they affected my pain. Until now. One … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Organizing, Our Best Tips, What's New? Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Do You Have a Good Excuse…. or a Legitimate Reason That House is Dirty?

September 22, 2010 By 2 Comments
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Last week was Invisible Illness Awareness Week , sponsored by Rest Ministries. The panel discussion was very good. If you missed it you can still listen to it at Blog Talk Radio ( Monday 9/13’s program ) During the discussion, the topic turned to house cleaning. To most people, vacuuming, doing the dishes, laundry, dusting, etc. isn’t the most enjoyable job; however, it’s not a big deal. Yet, to those of us who live with chronic pain and or illness, house cleaning is a very big deal. Have you tried to vacuum while using crutches or a cane? Have you tried to empty the dish washer when you can’t bend the waist? Or tried dusting when you can’t lift your arm above shoulder level? Or tried to clean the tub/shower when … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Coping Skills, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Person w/ Illness, What's New? Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

If You Are On Facebook & Grandma is Not

May 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If you and many family members have started to share information about your daily happenings as well as photos, you may see how fun it is to connect with loved ones and hear from them more than just one time a year at Christmas. One of the reasons I personally like Facebook is that I receive "real life" updates - about the dog that had to go to the vet after eating a rubber ball, the kid's school play, and even the whole family being sick. I know what to pray for for people today! And the information they share is not all sugar-coated like in the annual Christmas newsletter. But what about Grandma? Or is there someone in your family who refuses to jump on the FB bandwagon even though you have told them all about the fun photos and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Caregiver, Church Leader, Explaining Illness, Grandparents, Links, Organizing, Our Best Tips, Support Group Leader, Technology, What's New? Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Are You Always Forgetting Numbers You Need?

May 23, 2010 By 1 Comment

We all have a million different numbers that we are supposed to be able to remember off the top of our head. Our phone number, our cell number, our family's cell numbers, our PIN numbers, bank numbers. Not long ago I was supposed to put my phone number into the grocery store's machine for my discount & I drew a blank. And the blank didn't fade away. I literally dug out my check book & with a red face, glanced to see what is was. Well, here is a web site that may be of a little bit of help. myPhonr is really easy to use. You just enter in your phone number --or whatever number you are needing to be able to memorize a bit easier, & see if it has any English words in it. You may be able to dial the "word" rather than the numbers. The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Links, Organizing, Our Best Tips, Person w/ Illness, What's New? Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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