'Dear Friends' January 2012
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Week of January 2,
2012
Prayer Requests
God
Knows
D ear Friends:
God knows caregiving is
hard. God knows caregiving is work. God alone knows all
the particular circumstances—the feelings and
 emotions,
the life experiences and personality quirks, the baggage
and hot buttons—that can make taking care of another
person hard work.
And knowing all that, God has chosen you to play a
central role in providing that care. Just as from the
cross Jesus asked St. John—the patron saint of
caregivers—to take care of the Blessed Mother, God asks
you to help take care of someone else he so deeply
loves. But that doesn’t mean providing care for a
spouse, a parent or grandparent, a child or sibling with
special needs, or any other family member or friend is
simple or easy
You know—or have quickly been discovering—that
caregiving is hard work. You know—or have quickly been
discovering—that caregiving can take a toll physically,
emotionally, mentally, financially, and spiritually.
What you may not know, or at times not recognize, is
that you are not the only one facing these challenges.
While you may be the only one in your family providing
care (or the primary person providing it), there are
other caregivers in your workplace, in your parish, in
your community, in your city or town, in your state. The
number of caregivers continues to grow rapidly, because
the number of seniors needing care continues to grow
rapidly. . . .
This is how the latest flier at CatholicCaregivers.com
begins. And it's the newest Spirituality Topic on
YourAgingParent.com. You can find the flier
here and the topic here.
We've also posted January's
Bulletin Briefs and
Prayers of Intercession.
- - -
Thank you to Greg Magnoni (publisher) and Jennifer Sokol
(writer) at the Catholic Northwest Progress, the
newspaper for the Archdiocese of Seattle, for a great
article on the Friends of St. John the Caregiver in the
Christmas edition.
- - -
And thank you to all who have responded to this year's
Annual Appeal. (No, it's not too late to make a
donation. There's an information letter
here and donor form
here. Or you can give
online.
Thank you!)
- - -
This week
we're so pleased to welcome Jennifer S. of Washington
state, Deborah G. of Florida, and Maureen G. of Ohio as the newest members of the Friends of St. John the
Caregiver. Please keep them and their intentions in your
prayers. They have promised to pray for you and yours.
And we cordially invite you to join
the Friends of St. John
the Caregiver! (FSJC's programs include
YourAgingParent.com and
CatholicCaregivers.com.) You can find out more about
becoming a member here.
No meetings, no dues. All we ask is that
you pray for caregivers and those receiving care. Our members include
caregivers, care-receivers, and those who support both
(including quite a few former caregivers).
You can:
sign up on-line here
or call us toll-free at
1-800-392-JOHN (5646)
or
print and mail an application form.
God
bless you!
Monica and Bill
To contact us
To join
FSJC
To make a
donation
To view or make prayer
requests
Materials order form
Past "Dear Friends"
letters
"Among Friends" quarterly newsletter
|
|
Week of January 9,
2012
Prayer Requests
The
Need to Have Fun
D ear Friends:
There can be a letdown after the holiday season, maybe
especially for those in the Northern Hemisphere who are
just beginning the season
 of
winter. It's a time that can be cold, dark and seemingly
endless. That's when it's good to remember that it's
important for you and your care-receiver to have fun.
That's the Topic we're featuring this week. Here's how
it begins:
When you’re caught up in the worries and demands of
taking care of a loved one, it’s easy to overlook
how important it is for your care-receiver to do
something enjoyable. No matter how old we are, our
emotional health depends a great deal on fun.
Pleasurable activities are especially important when
illness, depression, and grief dampen our spirits.
Unfortunately, sometimes when we need those good
times the most, they’re the first things we
eliminate.
Finding and suggesting something that will be enjoyable for
your care-receiver isn’t always easy. It can take imagination,
work—and diplomacy.
These are some suggestions:
--Ask your loved one what he or she would like to do for
fun. It’s important to ask, but realize that your question might
be met with a less-than-enthusiastic response. When we’re out of
practice, having fun can seem like a foolish idea. Whatever idea you
come up with, no matter how great it may be, it could take quite a
bit of persuasion over an extended period before your care-receiver
is willing to give it a shot.
--Generate some ideas. What did your spouse used to like
to do? Travel? Collect? Play sports? Read? Listen to music? What was
her ideal vacation? What were her plans when she first retired?
Obviously the time to do some of those things has passed. She won’t
be touring Europe. She may not be up to attending plays at the local
college. The challenge, then, is to find another way for your
care-receiver to continue to enjoy what has interested her.
--Gently encourage and help. If Dad used to love to go
to museums, find out what art books and videos are available at the
library. Keep an eye out for television programs that are going to
feature an artist whose work she especially admires. If it’s going
to be broadcast at an inconvenient time, record it....
You can read the whole article
here.
- - -
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have responded to this year's
Annual Appeal. (No, it's not too late to make a
donation. There's an information letter
here and donor form
here. Or you can give
online.
Thank you!)
- - -
And again this week we cordially invite you to join
the Friends of St. John
the Caregiver! (FSJC's programs include
YourAgingParent.com and
CatholicCaregivers.com.) You can find out more about
becoming a member here.
No meetings, no dues. All we ask is that
you pray for caregivers and those receiving care. Our members include
caregivers, care-receivers, and those who support both
(including quite a few former caregivers).
You can:
sign up on-line here
or call us toll-free at
1-800-392-JOHN (5646)
or
print and mail an application form.
God
bless you!
Monica and Bill
To contact us
To join
FSJC
To make a
donation
To view or make prayer
requests
Materials order form
Past "Dear Friends"
letters
"Among Friends" quarterly newsletter
|
|
Week of January 16,
2012
Prayer Requests
'Members Are Praying for You'
D ear Friends:
Often when we're talking to a family caregiver we tell
him or her, "We want you to know members of the Friends
of St. John the
 Caregiver
are praying for you and for your loved one." We can't
think of a single time we received a negative, or even a
neutral, response to that.
We know families greatly appreciate those
prayers and those doing the praying. We know sometimes
praying is the most anyone can do to help and it can
help a lot. More than just powerful and personal, it's
asking our loving Father to help that caregiver assist
God's own beloved son or daughter.
We like to joke that the Friends of
St. John the Caregiver holds no meetings and collects no
dues but we're serious about asking members to pray for
caregivers and those receiving care.
And they do. And we thank them for
that. (Some make a point of saying extra prayers on the
27th of each month since St. John's feast day is Dec.
27.)
Whether or not you're a member, we
encourage you to offer your prayers, too. To take note
of the latest prayer
requests we've received and to feel free to
add your requests to
that list.
Every three months we include the list for
that period in our
quarterly newsletter.
And, again we want to tell you, be assured
that you are in our prayers.
- - -
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have responded to this year's
Annual Appeal. (No, it's not too late to make a
donation. There's an information letter
here and donor form
here. Or you can give
online.
Thank you!)
- - -
And again this week we cordially invite you to join
the Friends of St. John
the Caregiver! (FSJC's programs include
YourAgingParent.com and
CatholicCaregivers.com.) You can find out more about
becoming a member here.
No meetings, no dues. All we ask is that
you pray for caregivers and those receiving care. Our members include
caregivers, care-receivers, and those who support both
(including quite a few former caregivers).
You can:
sign up on-line here
or call us toll-free at
1-800-392-JOHN (5646)
or
print and mail an application form.
God
bless you!
Monica and Bill
To contact us
To join
FSJC
To make a
donation
To view or make prayer
requests
Materials order form
Past "Dear Friends"
letters
"Among Friends" quarterly newsletter
|
|
Week of January 23,
2012
Prayer Requests
Your
Child with Special Needs
D ear Friends:
On this week of the annual
March for Life,
we want to remember all families who provide care for a
child with special needs.
 It
isn't just parents and siblings, but grandparents,
aunts, uncles, and cousins who may play an important
role in helping. And, for members of the child's own
generation, offering that help can go on for many
decades. (We hear from some caregivers who now assist
their adult brother or sister because Mom and Dad have
passed away or, because of age and poor health, they are
no longer able to provide the needed care.)
Caregiving is pro-life!
- - -
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have responded to this year's
Annual Appeal. (No, it's not too late to make a
donation. There's an information letter
here and donor form
here. Or you can give
online.
Thank you!)
- - -
This week we're so pleased to welcome Arthur F. of
Michigan as the newest member of the Friends of St. John
the Caregiver. Please keep him and his intentions in
your prayers. He has promised to pray for you and yours.
And again this week we cordially invite you to join
the Friends of St. John
the Caregiver! (FSJC's programs include
YourAgingParent.com and
CatholicCaregivers.com.) You can find out more about
becoming a member here.
No meetings, no dues. All we ask is that
you pray for caregivers and those receiving care. Our members include
caregivers, care-receivers, and those who support both
(including quite a few former caregivers).
You can:
sign up on-line here
or call us toll-free at
1-800-392-JOHN (5646)
or
print and mail an application form.
God
bless you!
Monica and Bill
To contact us
To join
FSJC
To make a
donation
To view or make prayer
requests
Materials order form
Past "Dear Friends"
letters
"Among Friends" quarterly newsletter
|
|
Week of January 30,
2012
Prayer Requests
Always a Parent:
Worries About Adult Children
D ear Friends:
This week we thought we'd highlight one of the (many!)
Topics
 available
on this site and as fliers on
CatholicCaregivers.com.
Maternal or paternal instinct isn’t something that
can be shut off once a child reaches a certain age.
In the midst of your concern for your parent, he or
she is also worried about you. That concern, that
love, has been a cornerstone in your relationship.
It’s not about to suddenly change now.
Your mother can’t help but worry
when she sees how much her problems and her needs stretch your
patience, your strength, your schedule. She knows you’re overworked,
frightened, and sad. You can tell her not to worry, but she does
anyway. She sees the truth.
Here are some things you can do to
help ease your parent’s mind — and yours.
--Talk with your parent during a
calm time. Let Dad know that if you feel there’s some part of caring
for him that you can’t handle, you will admit it and get help from
someone who can. Let him know that you’re going to take care of
yourself, too: by going to a support group or out with a friend.
Your parent will be happier knowing you’re looking out for yourself.
--Understand that Mom may suddenly
seem like such a busybody because you’re around her more than you
have been in recent years and she’s more aware of your daily ups and
downs. Maybe you’re upset because your child was sent to the
principal’s office this morning or the car repair isn’t going to be
completed for three more days. Your mother didn’t used to know about
these things in any detail. Now she does. When you’re down, for
whatever reason, she wants to solve the problem or offer possible
solutions. Gently thank her for her concern but let her know you can
handle it.
--Remember that you don’t have
control over your parent’s worry. Even though you reassure your dad
that he doesn’t have to worry, he does. You’ll say, “Don’t worry,”
and he’ll sit there and worry anyway.
- - -
The 20th annual
World Day of the Sick is going to be Saturday, Feb.
11. You may want to check to see if your parish or
diocese is marking the event. Some places have a special
Mass with the anointing of the sick.
- - -
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have responded to this year's
Annual Appeal. (No, it's not too late to make a
donation. There's an information letter
here and donor form
here. Or you can give
online.
Thank you!)
- - -
Again this week we cordially invite you to join
the Friends of St. John
the Caregiver! (FSJC's programs include
YourAgingParent.com and
CatholicCaregivers.com.) You can find out more about
becoming a member here.
No meetings, no dues. All we ask is that
you pray for caregivers and those receiving care. Our members include
caregivers, care-receivers, and those who support both
(including quite a few former caregivers).
You can:
sign up on-line here
or call us toll-free at
1-800-392-JOHN (5646)
or
print and mail an application form.
God
bless you!
Monica and Bill
To contact us
To join
FSJC
To make a
donation
To view or make prayer
requests
Materials order form
Past "Dear Friends"
letters
"Among Friends" quarterly newsletter
|
|
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