NEW WEBSITE FEATURES AND A LITTLE RELATIONSHIP REPAIR

JOAN’S BLOG – THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008 – MY PLANS TO HELP YOU THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS
It begins with Thanksgiving , which is a mere 3 weeks from today, and goes right through until New Year’s Day. Most Americans, regardless of religion or nationality, celebrate Thanksgiving. No matter what country in which you reside (we have some Canadian friends here), whether you celebrate one of the December holidays, all of them, or none of them, you cannot escape the hubbub of the season – at work; at your spouse’s Day Care; at your spouse’s nursing home (for those of you in that situation); in the stores; and restaurants. The decorations, parties, excitement, and “vibes” are all encompassing. Although the season brings joy and religious commitment to those who participate, it also brings more stress – cooking, shopping, dealing with relatives – and that is for households WITHOUT AD. Add an AD spouse to the mix, and you have a recipe for a nervous collapse – YOURS!

I am committed to easing your stress as much as possible. My plan is to set up this website as a “one-stop shopping” information well - a place for you to find:

Ideas and tips on how to help your spouse handle the holiday:
changes in routine
decorations
extra visitors.

Tips on how to help you de-stress by:

Simplifying your holiday
Planning ahead
Getting respite care for your spouse

Tips on involving your spouse in holiday activities they can handle.

Gifts suggestions for the AD spouse

Blogs that deal with the emotions surrounding sharing a special holiday with our spouses who are so different from who they used to be.
Online shopping - Visit Joan’s Marketplace for custom made gifts and our Amazon store for everything under the sun. There are no crowds, parking problems, or sore feet when you shop online.

So pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee (tea, milk, wine), read the Blogs, share your emotions on the Message Boards, read the tips for surviving the holidays with an AD spouse, offer some tips of your own under the message board topic - OK-here comes the big holiday question , and do a little shopping, all right here.

Coming up tomorrow- Assessing your spouse's level of functioning before doing any planning.