A Song.

Why should I feel discouraged
Why should the shadows come
Why should my heart feel lonely
And long for heaven and home
When Jesus is my portion
A constant friend is He
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches over me
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me

I sing because I'm happy
I sing because I'm free
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me (He watches me)
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches
I know He watches
I know He watches me

I sing because I'm happy
I sing because I'm free
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me (He watches me)
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me (He watches me)
He watches me
I know
He watches

Me

A Word on Whole-Person Care.

Throughout my time working at an assisted living facility I have learned how important it is to have what I call “whole-person care” at facilities. What this means to me is that while the medical needs and safety measures to protect residents are vitally important, so are the non-medical needs of the resident. Moving into a nursing home or assisted living facility does not turn someone into a medical chart. You cannot properly treat the medical needs of a client if you are not treating the whole person you may be missing signs of declining health or mental status. Sure, giving medications and taking medical precautions does a big part in keeping residents healthy. I will not argue that point. But it is important that we (as caregivers) take time to get to know our patients. Often there are emotional or behavioral representations of a bigger medical or mental issue. If we do not know our residents we may miss those signs.



Another reason whole-person care is important stems off of the idea that our residents are not medical charts or administration records. Just because they are elderly and often infirm does not reduce their desire to be happy and to live a fulfilled life. As caregivers there are steps that we can take to help them feel that they are still important. One of the easiest ways that I can think of is to take time to be a friend to your residents. Going in, doing your job and then leaving can be sufficient for what you have to do. But think of how the resident feels. Encouraging them and telling them that it is okay is important. Often I have residents that try to apologize to me for not being able to do things. They call themselves idiots and stupid. I have seen caregivers do nothing to refute these statements and every time I see that it is hard to watch. The easiest way to show someone you care is to show them that they matter. That even though they are not at the same level of physical activity you are does not make them less of a person. Befriending residents often can help when doing cares for them as well. Sometimes talking to them about their life or yours can distract from what you are doing with them. So instead of them just being there while you do things to them that they wish they could still do you are talking and laughing with them.


Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “to have a friend you must be a friend.” If you take the time to encourage your residents you should also take the time to get to know them. Working with the elderly is one of the hardest and most rewarding decisions you will ever make. But you get out of it depends on what you put into it. If you give yourself you will get more back in return, especially when it comes to working with this group of people. The more I get to know my residents, the more I get to love my job. Some days, being friends with my residents is all that pulls me to work. They have given me so many gifts. Whether it is a smile or a hug or having a resident tell me that I am worth waiting for someone who will care for me the way their deceased spouse cared for them.


Activity programming is a vital aspect of life at a nursing home or assisted living facility. I have served as an intern in the activity department where I currently work. I have learned a lot from my experience there. The concept of whole-person care is not one to disregard in the activities department either. The goal is to have meaningful activities that the residents can do. You do not want to have activities that are exceedingly juvenile or simplistic, but you also do not want to have activities that are dark or complex. The “trick” is finding a proper balance between the two. At any given facility you will have residents with different skill levels and physical abilities. It is important that you either offer something that everyone could do or you plan the activities (especially craft-oriented activities) in a way that while everyone could be basically doing the same type of project there could be an advanced and an easier method.


Another concept that is important also pertains to whole-person care giving. You need to be aware of the different and unique things that people in this age group are going through. For example, because many of your residents may be dealing with depression it may be important to remember that when you are planning movie events. A dark themed movie probably is not the best choice. It is not that the residents only want to watch movies from their era, but it is important that you keep these ideas in mind as movies are selected.

In society, we constantly meet and work with people of all ages. When an individual moves into a facility it can be much more of a cloistered environment. Often all the people residents see are other elderly individuals and the staff at the facility. What an adjustment that must be! As a facility employee there are many different things you can do to help your residents continue to see people of the many age groups. The activity department where I work has children come in periodically to read with the residents. They love that! So do I, because I work with the elderly I do not see children as often. When they come to read it is like the best of both worlds. Another idea is to have teens visit on prom night so that the residents can see them in their dresses. The average teen may not be open to this idea, but in y town there are a few churches that host a prom alternative type event and perhaps a facility could invite a group to stop by as they have their activities for the event. There are many other things you could do as well, from demonstrations to musical events that could incorporate different age groups into the lives of the residents.

A good way to help residents meet other residents with similar interests is to have different groups that meet. For example, a book club is a great way to connect residents who enjoy reading and talking about what they have read. Hobby themed groups are great too, such as knitting or wood working. At the facility I work at they have a Wii bowling league and the residents are very passionate about their bowling time! There are lots of opportunities in this area.

In conclusion, there is a lot that a facility can do to ensure that the residents that live there have whole-person care. In no way is this a complete list of ideas or suggestions. The best way to meet the needs of your residents is to talk to them about what their desires, needs or suggestions are. That way you know that your staff and activity department is doing exactly what they need to be doing to see that the residents under your care are getting their needs met in the best way possible.

A Gluten Free How-To

As someone who has recently been diagnosed with gluten intolerance I have learned about some of the complexities of a wheat free diet. Slowly but surely I have become acclimated to the lifestyle changes; but it is very hard for my friends and family to include me in meals. Often I end up bringing my own meal to social events. That does solve the problem but I always feel like the odd one out. It means a lot to me when those I care about make an effort to cook a gluten free meal or at least parts of a meal that I can eat.

Gluten intolerance is hard for people to understand. While it is not an anaphylactic shock inducing allergy, it has a dramatic effect on a person’s comfort and well being. A trace amount of “hidden” gluten in a meal has the potential to make someone very ill.

I would never expect my loved ones to become experts so I have put together a guide for a fool proof and delicious gluten free dinner for you to share with your friends. Your non-gluten free friends won’t even know the difference!

~*~

Before I begin with this meal idea, I need to give you some very important warnings!

Cross-Contamination is a concept that you need to keep in mine when preparing a gluten free meal. A trace amount of gluten can make someone sick so it is important to take precautions.

First, avoid using wooden spoons when preparing your gluten free meal. Because wood is absorbent, it can soak in trace amount of gluten that can transfer to the other food that you are preparing.

 

Use the dishwasher to clean dishes instead of hand washing. A dish washer will clean things off a lot better than you can on your own. This is especially important when cleaning something like a strainer as it is very hard to get all of the gluten from other batches of regular noodles from the holes in the strainer.

~*~

Your local grocery store will most likely have at least a limited supply of gluten free items that make preparing this gluten free meal quick and easy!

For simplicity’s sake, I have chosen spaghetti as the gluten free meal for these instructions. You will hardly know the difference while you are cooking!

Grocery List: Plain Hamburger*; Classico Pasta Sauce (All Alfredo, Bruschetta, Pesto and Red Sauce varieties are gluten free); Quinoa Pasta; Chebe Bread; Gluten Free Baking Powder

*Only buy plain hamburger and mix your own spices in as desired. Most pre-made Italian Sausage has MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) in it, which contains gluten.

Prepare everything according to directions on packages!

~*~

Good news! All vegetables are gluten free! This means you can toss whichever veggies you would like to make a delicious salad. Ask your friend if he or she has a favorite salad dressing. That way you will know for sure that the dressing is gluten free. Just stay away from croutons, crunchy salad toppings or Bacon Bits.

 

No Italian meal is complete without a personal favorite of mine- cheese! And luckily, almost all cheese is gluten free. A lot of it is even labeled as such. Just check the package. Watch out for Bleu Cheese though, as wheat is used in the fermentation process.

As far as dessert goes, there are now gluten free baking mixes available from Betty Crocker that are great! Just prepare one according to the directions and your good to go.

~*~

Be sure to be careful of cross contamination at every point throughout the preparation of the meal. Your friend will most likely ask you about it!

If your friend is newly diagnosed you may want to do a little reading and researching so that you are able to be an understanding and supportive friend. 

Here's a list:

The Essential Gluten-Free Grocery Guide

The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival GuideGluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide- Expanded and Revised EditionLiving Without MagazineGluten-Free Living

~*~

Hope all this helps! Enjoy the meal and feel free to comment with tips or questions! I appreciate it. Particularly, I am looking for a great recipe for gluten free bread!

An Interruption.

I can't believe I have all but neglected my blog. Trying to graduate AND work AND trying to stay sane is a lot of work. Especially when doing all three at the same time.

A lot of people are happy for me. That makes me happy. A lot of people tell me, "I bet you are sooooo excited."

Don't get me wrong. I am. I am excited for a lot of things about graduation. 

It's just weird. For so long, I have defined myself as a student. After next week, I can no longer say that. 

After next week, I will be defined by what I do. But more than that I will be defined by what God does through me. It isn't that I haven't been open to His working through me while at school, but now it is scarier in a way. Like before, I had school to fall back on. Now I have to depend on God for my life and my breath in a way that I haven't had to before. Ever. 

I was really stressed and tripping myself over the last couple weeks. Like trying to jinx graduating in a way. Which sounds RIDICULOUS. Even I'll admit that. And this week I have been running on blind determination. K.Elizabeth is NOT going to not graduate. That would be insanely lame lame lame. I was in this groove. I was doing great. 

Then yesterday happened. I read a sign wrong and headed out to hicksville to the campus there. And...it was closed early. Well, not early really. Just earlier than I wanted and needed it to be. I was really ticked. You don't mess with my groove! Not when I am so determined. 

Did I mention it was snowing?? I should have mentioned that. It was May 7 and it was snowing. Not just snowing. Staying. Snowing and staying. It was like God was laughing me. "Hahahahaha, K.Elizabeth you dug yourself a hole and now I am snowing in it!" But the snow didn't bury me. It helped bring me out of the blind determination and stress that I was in!

And then, I got a rare opportunity for a Baptist from central Wisconsin. I got to go dancing. This never happens to me!

They gave us lessons and then let us dance. It was wonderful! Wonderful. For a few short hours I felt like myself, and it has been a long time since I have felt that way. 

And I wasn't half bad at the dancing either. My partner was a patient natural who blamed himself when we got tripped up and I was a girl getting distracted by the way her new dress floofed out when she spun out while samba-ing. 

It was delightful. It was fun. The most fun I have had in a long time. 

And my plan was to spend the whole evening doing Excel and Powerpoint. God had other plans for me. These were so wonderful. If God can use snow in May and a beginners dance class to get me out of the stressful hole of a forthcoming graduation, how many more miraculous things will He do with me and for me?? I'm excited to see what's next.

But if things do get scary and stressful again, perhaps a floofy dress, a kind partner and a dance will do the trick. 

PS: I will still get that work done...I promise! But I won't allow it to bury me again. If I had to get buried by something, I should hope it would me nicer than Microsoft Office.