Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Memory Care in Asheville



My parents and I are spending tomorrow at the Memory Care Center that is within Givens Estates in Asheville. My parents are very very lucky to live in such a great city with these amazing resources.


Taken from the Memory Care site: 
Our team, physicians and care managers, spend extended time diagnosing and assessing caregiver needs and establishing a comprehensive plan of care for an individual with memory loss. In addition, we are devoted to maintaining the accessibility of our staff to our caregivers to provide effective care management. Families are encouraged to contact us to provide practical assistance with daily problems that arise throughout the course of caring for a loved one with dementia.
The population of older adults with memory disorders and their caregivers is often one that falls through the cracks of the traditional medical system and thus is vastly underserved. The traditional medical model does not fully recognize the benefits of services designed to allow families to keep people with dementia at home as long as possible. Since most organizations must rely on the immediate intake of revenue, the cost-saving benefits of keeping a person in their home environment often go unappreciated, not to mention the higher quality of family life that can be achieved.
MemoryCare™ is the only organization of its kind in Western North Carolina. The staff and Board are dedicated to ensuring the financial sustainability of the organization, so that people with memory disorders and their caregivers have a place to go for help. We desire to keep our services affordable and available to all.

This is a huge appointment for us! We have been waiting 10 months and I'm so excited for my family to have this type of support network.

What we will be doing tomorrow is listed below. Say a prayer for us as it will be an intensely emotional but wonderful day! 
The clinic is consultative and designed to work in concert with primary care physicians. The initial evaluation is extensive and done with family members and other important caregivers present. The clinical portion of the evaluation involves history taking, cognitive testing, and physical examination. The family/caregiver portion of the evaluation involves history taking, education, problem-solving, and direction to necessary resources.
You can donate here to Memory Care's Mission.
MemoryCare™ is a non-profit charitable corporation, established to meet the rapidly growing need for appropriate assessment, treatment, and support for memory-impaired individuals and their families. We are located in Asheville, North Carolina.
Memory impairment affects close to half of the population over 85 and is one of the most common reasons for dependency in late life.
Expert management can make a significant difference to a memory impaired individual, and equip a caregiver with the physical and psychological resources they need.
The program's mission is three-fold:
  • To provide specialized medical care to older adults with memory loss
  • To support caregivers with education, counseling, and improved access to services
  • To provide community education

And remember....

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Thanksgiving-You Can Blame the Calendar This Year.

I have always stuck to the principle that you wait for the Christmas Explosion until after Thanksgiving. I adore our Thanksgiving tradition of 30+ inebriated related fools in a cabin in Arden. The food is to die for, the company is the best and the setting is out of this world. See?...


This isn't even everybody! 





*I would never skip over this awesome holiday for the commercialized bonanza that is Christmas. I am a little bittersweet that I will be missing our traditional Boylan-Cowart-Myer-Fuchs-DeBlasio Mountain Thanksgiving this year but I can't complain too much as we are headed to Florida! 

I typically do not stray from my strict regimen of family holidays but we haven't spent a holiday with my brother in a long long time so we are overdue! Plus they throw quite the party down there and F is in LOVE with his cousins and we do not see enough of them!

*So here is my issue...

1. I have never hosted Thanksgiving. I don't even make a dish for it. We buy the oil. That should show you how many good cooks there are in our group since The Fuchers only bring oil. It is hard to get revved up about Thanksgiving decor and Cornucopias if I don't do a thing. (My Aunt does it all as far as decor goes and let me tell you something..she does it right.)


2. Thanksgiving is late as mathematically possible. It can fall between the 22nd and the 28th and we are right smack up against the end of the month. I won't even be in North Carolina the last 5 days of November. 

3. We have another trip planned the first weekend of December. Would I normally leave on such a busy month? NEVER...but I swear I have a really good reason for it.

4. I do ALL our Christmas decorating. I beg for help with the tree but its useless. Last year my Dad so kindly put the lights on our tree but that is only because I was in the ICU.

5. I throw an annual Ornament Swap party and between work being slammed and a crazy toddler I will only have a few days to get ready.

So with all these reasons(excuses) I am making an exception for 2013 and hauling the Christmas Stuff down this weekend. Don't hate me. I wouldn't normally do this but let me tell you something. Its a HUGE PAIN IN THE ASS TO DECORATE YOUR ENTIRE HOUSE.

That's me. (Bitch please)
A fun pain in the ass, but still a pain in the ass. I put on Love Actually and booze and spread Christmas cheer all over our humble abode but it is a LOT OF WORK. And if I am going to spend all this time turning my home into a Winter Wonderland...shouldn't I leave it up for more than 3 weeks?

So..... I'm sorry Turkey Day but this year I need to get a jump start on things.

Any Moms out there feel the same?

xoxo
Elf from Hell

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Blogger Christmas Shopping at The Zhush

The adorable Sue from The Zhush posted a question on her blog asking what you like to buy for other people. I typically like to give a gift with meaning. It is lame-o but I usually frame a photo I have taken over the year for my friends. Two of my best girlfriends get magazine subscriptions...it just happened that one year that is what they wanted and well....Amazon auto-renews so after I get the reminder email in October its too late to change my mind! (PS-Merry Christmas Lauren & Elie!)

Sue's gift ideas from The Zhush

I think the best gifts are things you won't buy for yourself. I hate to spend money on candles and these are always an EASY gift for me. So is Chanel Lipgloss in Spark. Pretty much any home decor items, pajamas, lotions, perfumes, make-up...etc...are great ideas for someone like me b/c I dread spending money on those items. What types of gifts do you like getting? My sister-in-law would tell you I'm the easiest person to shop for and I think she is right. I'm easily amused so I'm pretty much elated at just opening a present!

Gorgeous right?!

Since Sue asked this question I decided to go through her shop and see what I would buy as gifts (or what I would like to receive!)

These are so neat and would look great in my office over my desk. I'm a Pi Phi girl and our symbol is the Arrow.

Etoile Scarf. $14.40 
Too adorable. I would have this on today. My friend invites me to her girls white elephant party and last year the scarf was stolen 4 times!

Watch out Jackie, I might get you this. (My sister-in-law is also one of the easiest people to shop for)

Too fun! I was just given a new wallet by a co-worker but this is adorable

My mom used to wear a pair of earrings like this every day. Love the simplicity.

Spoiler alert Jackie! Another killer gift for my sis-in-law. 

 I have two friends due any day now, one that just had a sweet baby boy, and two more that are expecting question marks. This would be a beautiful baby gift!

LOVE. What a luxurious gift to give and receive!

What do you like from the Zhush?

xoxo

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Hair Envy and Muppets

Me and my hair right now.

Sorry for the long hiatus! I had an AMAZING time in San Francisco and Sonoma and can't wait to share the details of my trip with you!


But for now let me talk about hair. Do you ever feel like you are in a hair frump? I am. Its my own fault for getting my hair cut at the MALL. I just get so impatient and do dumb things. I miss the red but it was way too tricky to get right and way too drying. 

This is what I think I look like. BAHAHAHAHA. But my layers are too short, so operation grow out layers is underway. Now about color.... 

Typically in the fall I just wash in brown so I don't have to deal with highlights all year. Well my most recent brown has all washed out and I'm left with 2" roots and some random blonde. 

Brown perfection. Is this length too weird? Too in-between?

Scrolling through Day Old News I saw this image and it made me want to go all brown again....how gorgeous is this chick?

Hilary Rhoda

 That is pretty much my natural color. She is not as pale as me but do you like the brown?

And then there is always Kate....here she is super dark

and here she is brightened up a bit.

And totally out of left field but can we talk about the Olsen twins? Why is this okay to dress like this? That looks like a Gap boyfriend sweater over her mom's prom dress. WTF. I love that dlisted alternates between calling them muppets and gollum.

And then let's discuss Uggs. I have never owned a pair. Last year I bought a fake pair from Old Navy and I will admit they are SUPER warm. Since I work from home I would wear them all day (with socks) and on this 27 degree morning I'm kind of wishing I still had them. (I tossed after the season..they were pretty gross). Should I buy these?

What size would I be in girls? I'm a 5.5-6.

That is all for now, more tomorrow!
xoxo
Frumpy Headed K