Confessions of a Caregiver

Throughout the course of my life, I have learned that journalizing, humor, and positive distraction goes a long way in creating calm in the midst of storm. This blog will provide me a place of relaxation, rejuvenation, and reflection. I hope it helps you, too.

My ElderCareCafe will offer a more professional take on caregiving and senior issues. Edie's Potpourri allows me to go in a more personal direction. You will hear more about my family, other interests besides caring for my dad, and my sometimes quirky sense of humor.

What is positive distraction you might ask? Well, it's a technique I learned during a stint in the Surgery Department of a large hospital. Under often extremely stressful situations, I watched as the "board runner", an RN who controlled (as much as she could) the order of surgery, nursing assignments, tried to keep the timely flow of cases moving throughout the day as she dealt with frustrated and angry surgeons. Well, that gives you just a small insight as to her duties.

Anyway, this particular nurse had the ability under the most stressful situations, to walk into the front office, sit down and say to a friend who worked in the office, "Did I tell you about (daughter's name) goal last night at soccer?" Then they would proceed to talk about whatever was happening in their personal life. A few minutes later she would leave the office, not once saying anything negative or mentioning the stressful situation.

She did this day after day. I soon realized this was her way of dealing with stress. She could come to a relatively safe place in the department to get away from the negativity going on elsewhere.

I was very impressed and have applied this technique many times over the years. Try it sometime. When you are the most stressed about something, turn your attention to anything that will distract you from the issues at hand. You will return to the stressful situation with a renewed sense of well-being and a greater ability to handle whatever comes your way.

Please feel free to leave comments on this blog. I look forward to hearing from you.