Person w/ lll Spouse

Tools for Family Caregivers is New Program of Partners Against Pain

April 14, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The National Family Caregivers Association has partnered up with Partners Against Pain, the national pain management education program, to create "Caregiver Cornerstones." Caregiver Cornerstones is a new program that offers information, encouragement, & "tools to family caregivers who are caring for loved ones suffering from chronic pain." The 4 Caregiver Cornerstones are: 1. Learning about pain management. Taking an active role in helping to manage a loved one's pain may help you feel more useful & worry less. 2. Caring for a person with pain. This includes making sure that patients receive proper assessment & follow their treatment plans. 3. Caring for yourself. Being a family caregiver can be a dem&ing job. Allow others to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Caregiver, Caregiving, Church Leader, Friend Has Illness, Health News, Links, Parent of Ill or Disabled Child, Person w/ lll Spouse, Support Group Leader, What's New? Tagged With: Caregiver, Chronic pain, Conditions and Diseases, Family caregivers, Health, Medicine, Pain, Sterling silver

Couples Are Divorcing to Pay Medical Bills & Get Needed Coverage

April 8, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

What happens when you or your spouse has a chronic illness & it gets to the point where you financially are out of resources? Recently "The Today Show" had a story about a couple who dealt with the costs in the only way they knew how in the USA. The got divorced. The woman's husb&, who was diagnosed with dementia that quickly progressed, needed round-the-clock care, & was moved to a nursing home. The bills were around $7500-8000 a month. After 18 months & $75,000 one of her husb&'s doctors said, "Keep working & get yourself a really good lawyer." An elder law attorney told her as a last resort she could get a divorce. She had been married 43 years. Her response? "I was shocked, I was horrified & angry." But with a divorce, her … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Caregiver, Caregiving, Coping Skills, Divorce, Marriage, Person w/ Illness, Person w/ lll Spouse, Videos, What's New? Tagged With: Apostle John, Cancer, chaplaincy, Chemical Sensitivities, Chronic Illness, chronic illness book, Divorce, Exercise Physiology, illness christian faith, Law, Marriage, Medicaid, medicare, Once A Month Cooking, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Prince William, Prince William of Wales, Services, Spouse of Ill Person, United States, Wedding, What I Learned Lying Down - Hope for the Chronically Ill

Feeling Invisible?

March 30, 2010 By admin 1 Comment

I am in the process of preparing a presentation for a church called "Showing Up!" My mom was recently forwarded the video below of Nicole Johnson. If you've attended a Women of Faith conference in the past you have likely been blessed by her talent & her message for Christ. There are different ways we can feel invisible: Sometimes we feel invisible because our disease seems to have taken over the ability for our real personality to shine through. Other times, we may feel like whatever we are saying is not heard. "How many times do I have to ask you to pick up your toys so I don't fall on them?" Or, "Could you please open this jar for me?" (After it's sat on the counter with a sticky note attached for four days.) I love my husb& … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Caregiver, Church Leader, Founder's Blog, Invisible Illnesses, Parent of Ill or Disabled Child, Person w/ Illness, Person w/ lll Spouse, Self -Esteem, Videos, What's New? Tagged With: Bracelet, Christ, Christianity, Church, Disease, Evangelism, God, Handcrafted, Illness, invisible illness, Jewellery, Religion and Spirituality, Rest Ministries, Storm Within, women of faith

Inspirational Thought from Joni Eareckson Tada

March 23, 2010 By admin 1 Comment

We love this encouraging quote from Disability Ministry Advocate, author, speaker & amazing woman, Joni Eareckson Tada. "The fact that disabled people hang in there does something for Christians. It's not about being an inspiration for others, it more than that. . . it's a mystery. God somehow strengthens others by their faithfulness. They may feel like a burden to others, but God thinks the opposite. He thinks its necessary for others to take care of the disabled. . . they do more for one's spiritual well being than can be imagined. What's more is that it's all being credited to the disabled person's account, per Phillipians 1:25-26. If the disabled person is alone & does not meet others, they must endure for the purpose of teaching … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Caregiver, Church Leader, Coping Skills, Explaining Illness, Friend Has Illness, Need to Know, Person w/ Illness, Person w/ lll Spouse, Scriptures, What's New? Tagged With: academic, association of professional chaplain, Author, chaplain jobs, Christian, Disability, God, Hurt (Nine Inch Nails song), Joni Eareckson Tada, Lord, military chaplain, provides tools for hospital visitation, Religion and Spirituality, Singer, United States

Remembering That God Remembers

March 3, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

March & April are wonderful months. St. Patrick’s Day & Easter bring cheerful images of pastel colors & sunshine. The bright, Kelly green, Irish shamrock is not just about leprechauns & good luck. The shamrock represents God in three persons – the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit. Even the “lion & lamb” idea of March winds comes from scriptural references in the book of Revelation. April is a great relief to the winds of March. The light rain showers refresh us & settle the l& making it ready for the new birth about to take place. When the sun breaks through the clouds after an April shower, another God-given image – the rainbow – appears. It is an awe-inspiring moment when we first see a rainbow. As it appears in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Person w/ Illness, Person w/ lll Spouse, Reflection, Spiritually Struggling, What's New? Tagged With: Chronic Illness, Day, Easter, God, Holidays, Holy Spirit, Irish people, Kids and Teens, lora chandler, Patrick, People and Society, remember god remembers, Rest Ministries, Saint Patrick's Day, spring, St. Patrick's Day, the lion and the lamb

Connect Again with Your Spouse – Book Sale $1.99

February 9, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

With Valentine's Day just around the corner this cute little book has the potential to add some spark to your marriage regardless of where it is at. The book "Life Brighteners for Couples: 90 Notes to Touch Your Spouse's Heart" has 90 notes grounded in biblical encouragement - each one perfect for slipping into your mate's briefcase, purse, back pack or Bible. It's a great way to reconnect, especially when you have had a rough day or your typical conversation seems to always go back to something to do with your illness. In honor of Valentine's Day we are marking this book down from $7 to JUST $1.99 at the Rest Ministries Comfort Zone Bookstore through February 15th. Some other great books we recommend that are available at our … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Books, Holidays, Love, Marriage, Person w/ Illness, Person w/ lll Spouse, RM Shop E-flyers Tagged With: Arianna Huffington, ChronicFatigueSyndrome, Full-spectrum light, Holidays and Special Days, how to surrender to god, i love you with an everlasting love, in sickness and in health, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Light therapy, Luke, Marriage, marriage and illness, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Second Epistle to Timothy

Love Endures When Your Spouse is Ill

February 9, 2010 By admin 2 Comments

In the process of loving someone with a chronic illness, we often feel a recurring pang of grief & fear that overshadows the happy moments of our lives. Because the shadow never lifts completely, we must depend on the healing power of love when medical science has no answers. I have come to underst& that love endures when it is based more on friendship, respect & commitment than on romance. Such love carries with it a sense of belonging, a feeling of home. Couples who deeply love each other become so interwoven that it is difficult to tell where one stops & the other begins. They think alike, talk alike, even begin to look alike. As one devotes one's self to caregiving & weathers the storms of illness & recovery, you discover that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Caregiver, Marriage, Person w/ Illness, Person w/ lll Spouse, What's New? Tagged With: Christ, Chronic, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Chronic Illness, chronic illness married couples, Conditions and Diseases, First Epistle to the Corinthians, God, Health, husband caregiver, husband with illness, ill husband, ill wife, illness mariage, in sickness and in health, Jesus, Kids and Teens, marriage and illness, Medicine, Pain, Person w/ lll Spouse, spouse with illness, talking about your illness, vows marriage, wife caregiver, wife with illness

Fireproof – A Good Valentine’s Rental Movie

February 7, 2010 By admin 2 Comments

Fireproof is an amazing movie that was out in 2008 that set records for any independent film. Starring actor Kirk Cameron, heplays a fire chief & a man who is well-respected by those in his community. But his marriage is nearing the end. It’s not because of an affair with another person, or some dramatic event that takes place; but rather because, day by day, both spouses take one another a little more for granted & move away from each other than toward each other. Both are searching for validation of their emotions & even simple appreciation. Despite the fact that the movie was at the theaters two years ago the ministry of this movie continues to impact lives & change marriages. They have set up a Fireproof website specifically for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Anger, Articles, Books, Church Leader, Depression, Events, Fear, Links, Marriage, Person w/ Illness, Person w/ lll Spouse, Support Group Leader, Videos, What's New? Tagged With: Arianna Huffington, Marriage, Relationships

How Do You Get Romantic with an Ill Wife?

January 26, 2010 By admin 2 Comments

When your wife is chronically ill it can be hard for her to think "romance." She may be in a great deal of physical pain or also suffer from side effects of the illness or medications, such as weight gain or loss, a "puffy prednisone," or even feeling sick to her stomach. She may also be dealing with the loss of her career & dealing with grief. Be assured that you are not alone. Nearly 1 in 2 people in the USA live with a chronic illness & so many marriages are impacted. Unfortunately, nearly seventy-five percent of them end in divorce when an illness is that "third party" in the marriage. So, how can you encourage her & maybe even get some of that romance back into your marriage? Here are some ideas to add some romance into your … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Person w/ lll Spouse, What's New? Tagged With: Chronic, chronic illness and marriage, Health, ill husband, ill wife, Illness, lisa copen, Lisa Saunders, Marriage, marriage and illness, Pain, Relationships, Romance, romance ill husband, romance ill wife, Russell Stover, sickness and in health, United States

Is Your Loved One Depressed?

January 25, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

By Dena Dyer Is your loved one or friend depressed? If you're fairly certain they are, you are in the position to help. You're also in the uncomfortable place of trying to help someone who may not be able to (or want to) help themselves. I'm not a medical professional, & I'm not a counselor. But I am a layperson who has experienced both short-term & long-term depression, & I've been able (with God's help) to live for several years now in a mostly-sustained place of good mental health. Life isn't perfect, of course, & neither am I. Some days are better than others, & I'm not "cured," but my life is so much better--& my faith is so much stronger--than it was just a few years ago. Lately, I've been feeling that God is doing a new … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Caregiver, Church Leader, Depression, Friend Has Illness, Person w/ Illness, Person w/ lll Spouse, Suicidal Thoughts, What's New? Tagged With: Author, Bible, Books, Brady Bunch, Chonda Pierce, Christian, Disorders, free daily devotion, God, Health, House, Mental Health, mom, speaker

Find Health Answers at Your Fingertips

January 6, 2010 By admin 1 Comment

Have you ever gone to an internet search engine website like Google to look up information on health? A survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 61 percent of adults say they look online for health information. There’s a new term for this: e-patients. E- patients take internet searches a step further. Not only do they occasionally conduct internet searches about health; but they become involved in online groups & organizations dedicated to a particular aspect of their health. The upside? We can find people out there who know what we are going through. We can become involved in discussions with other patients like ourselves who have experienced the same side effects, the same pain, & most importantly, some of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Caregiver, Coping Skills, Doctor, Health News, Person w/ Illness, Person w/ lll Spouse, What's New? Tagged With: e-patient, Education, epatient, Google, health info, illness health internet info, patient privacy online, pew internet, Search engine optimization, Search Engines, Searching, United States, Web search engine, Website

13 Gift Ideas for a Chronically Ill Gal

December 19, 2009 By admin 1 Comment

We women like to shop & there’s nothing better than seeing the face of a friend light up when we offer up our thoughtfulness & creativity wrapped in a box with home-made, h&-stamped paper bag wrapping paper, all tied up with a raffia ribbon & dried orange slices. Say what? If you’re like me—since it’s the thought that counts—you basically try to stuff the gift into a dollar-store gift bag, rip the wrinkled tag off, & wrap a strip of shipping tape on the h&le so it doesn’t burst. But I used to be the girl that did rafia with home-made dried orange slices. Either way, shopping for a chronically ill friend can be both fun & intimidating. We want to give her something she’ll like (she can’t get enough of that American … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Articles Free to Reprint, Caregiver, Church Leader, Friend Has Illness, Holidays, Joy, Our Best Tips, Person w/ Illness, Person w/ lll Spouse, Support Group Leader, What's New? Tagged With: Christmas, Compact Disc, Gift, Gift wrapping, Shopping, Teddy bear, Variety store, Website