Help for Family Caregivers of Teenagers & Adults with Down Syndrome
Help for Family Caregivers of Teenagers & Adults with Down Syndrome
Help for Family Caregivers of Teenagers & Adults with Down Syndrome
There’s nothing like the thought of independent living…our loved one moving out to live on his/her own…that can send panic straight to the souls of parents and siblings who stand as caregivers. We entertain every reason why they should not move out. We imagine everything that can possibly go wrong. Yet, this does not change …
Caregiving…it’s my humble opinion that persons who are not caregivers seldom understand what it truly means to be one. We, as caregivers, are somewhat responsible for this ignorance, as we walk around pretending that all is well and that we’re okay, when the truth is that, most of the times, our lives are in shambles. …
Patients with Down syndrome may have difficulties going to the dentist. It can be an overwhelming experience, causing them to become too anxious to receive the dental care that they need. In these cases, dental sedation may be beneficial. As a dentist working with families for over 17 years, I’ve used sedation methods in my …
Happy Siblings Day to those brothers and sisters known as “Sibs”. You are a “Sib” if you grew up with a brother or sister who has a disability. We are sometimes called “The Others”. We are our parents’ other children…and some of us really had experiences that led us to feel as if the attention …
Down Syndrome is what I call a visible disability…as they see the person, they see the disability, and of course every preconceived notion presents itself. Something happened the other day that reminded me why it’s important for all of us to focus on the ability of a person and not the disability that they happen …
What can I say? Shit happens…literally. Bathroom woes are an all too common occurrence for a caregiver. I know this is not a topic that anybody really wants to address, but as caregivers, this is a constant battle for us. How do we get our loved ones to wipe their butts properly after they use …
In a matter of weeks, my sister and I will be moving in together…and so it will be just us two. Sigh. I am so not ready to live with my sister. In all of my adult life, probably three out of those many years I got to live by myself and thus had a …
I had a conversation with the father of a woman who has Down Syndrome (DS) and this conversation taught me a few things. I learnt that there are parents out there, who upon getting the news that their child has DS, react the way most of us do: we feel sad, angry and/or depressed. We …
So, the other day, I took my sister to the podiatrist and someone in the office said something to me that really struck me. They said “You are doing a good job”. At first, I was puzzled. I did not know what the person was referring to, but then the person went on to say …
March 21st is World Down Syndrome Day…a day when we educate society on what Down Syndrome (DS) really is and not what they assume it to be. So, what is Down Syndrome? It took me awhile to decide how to approach this, as there are many websites out there that give you a great clinical …