tracy-odell
Forum Replies Created
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I submitted a post, and I’m told it is “awaiting moderation”. Please let me know if you get my response to your question, Breanna.
Do you know why it would be sent for moderation? Sometimes I include links, which seems to be a problem, but there were no leaks included my longish answer to your question.
Please let me know if/when you receive it.
Thanks.
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I love these podcasts:
Every Little Thing – it is short, humorous, and always interesting – it originates in the US.
Quirks and Quarks – this is a science show with interviews with various scientists studying anything and everything in the natural world from bugs to animals to plants, the environment and space. There are normally six things discussed in the hour-long show. It airs by CBC
Under the Influence – follows a theme in advertising and marketing. You’d be surprised at how many topics can be discussed as the show has gone on for years and has never dropped in quality. It airs by CBC.
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If I am advertising online, I provide a fair amount of detail so people can self select out. It saves time. I will include the specific hours available, the starting rate, and general range of duties like housekeeping, personal care. I add that I will train them, which I do because I have them working alongside one of my other attendants from one shift to watch, and another 2 to 4 shifts to do it on their own with the other attendant available. My ad states that there are no “cash” arrangements. Their pay is over the table because I have to account for the money spent to the funder. I request that they send a resume and I provide my email address, but not my phone number.
In a newspaper ad, I don’t give much detail at all because it is expensive – a two line want ad is about CA $200. I include a phone number that they can reach me for more information.
Sometimes I have to re-advertise two or three times in a row before I get quality responses.
The shortage of PSWs seems to be a growing trend, probably due to the increasing demographics of people getting older and the demand for PSWs both in the community and in nursing homes. Nursing homes tend to pay higher wages, and sometimes can offer benefits if it is a full-time job which I cannot do with my grant when hiring people for one or two hours at a time throughout the day/evening.
In Ontario, we share our contact information with each other, and so we can reach out to folks who are living in our part of the city/province for word-of-mouth recommendations.
Sometimes I find the right person by word-of-mouth, and sometimes through one of the advertising methods. So I keep everything on the table.
Some people have found it helpful to make a poster and put it up at a grocery store bulletin board or at a college or university. There are several PSW schools that I could also reach out to. But I have not made use of these methods to date.
Good luck with your recruiting!
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In Ontario, people who hire their own attendants have a government grant to do so. Those who wish can share their emails with the group, so we can email one another when we are looking for people. This works out quite well because our attendants are working part-time so often a spot that one person needs to be filled is a vacancy in another person’s schedule. We put each other in touch with that attendant, and then they take it from there with their own interview process, etc.
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I have also used Dragon NaturallySpeaking. It works best with Microsoft products, so use Outlook for email, not Chrome. It adapts to your unique way of speaking. I use the Snowball microphone. It stands on the table, so I don’t have to get help putting it on and off. If you buy it, get the physical copy, so you can always prove your purchase and can re-install if you get a new computer or your computer crashes.
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When we moved into our house, my husband and I made a formal agreement to keep the thermostat set to 24.5 C (that’s 76.1 F in the US). Yet, I still wear a woven cape most of the time!
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I use creatine powder – micro fibre – suspended in about 4 ounces of orange juice. Creatine helps athletes do repetitive muscle action longer without the muscle giving out, and so is recommended to me by my neurologist. I can use the mouse longer when I take it and I don’t have any other symptoms like being shaky. I really notice a difference if I forget to take it one day. If I have a lot to do in the afternoon, I will take another round of it but once in the morning is usually enough for me.
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I’m reading “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir (Author of “The Martian”). It’s another great science fiction story!
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When I need someone to get faster at doing something, like help me go to the washroom, I will leave the last 15 minutes of my time with them to get it done. They will want to get out on time, so we will accomplish the task in 15-20 minutes. A couple of days later I will only leave 10 minutes of my time with them to go to the bathroom. Again, they will meet that time if they want to leave on schedule.
Another thing I have done is get them to shadow a staff member who can do things quickly and give them some tips. This is after having a conversation with them about the goal to have a task completed in a certain period of time. It helps them to know the same time limit that I have in my head, so we are working from the same page.
All that being said, some people perform slower out of an abundance of caution. If I am getting better service out of it – for example massaging moisturizer into my skin rather than “slapping” it on, that is a trade-off that I’m prepared to make most days.
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Ignored, definitely!
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Realize you’re immersed in an ableist culture which will skew how you compare yourself to others…
1. Call out what you see
We’re swamped with images these days, most of which have been heavily photoshopped. A lot of the images we end up comparing ourselves to do not even show real bodies. We see ourselves from the moment we wake up, tired and puffy eyed – we only see other people putting their best foot forward. No one is perfect. We all have off-days and we all have things about ourselves we don’t like. Remind yourself of that next time you find yourself comparing yourself to someone else.
2. Choose what you look at
Subliminal messages sneak into our subconscious without us noticing it. On social media, make sure you unfollow any of the brands or magazines that imply anyone should ever change themselves or improve their appearance. Fortunately, people are starting to call out this behaviour and promote healthier body image with hashtags like #bodyposi. Remember: there is no perfect body or bikini body – there are simply bodies!
3. Start loving your body exactly as it is, however hard it feels
It’s easy to say things like you’re going to feel happier with your body when you get in better shape. But the truth is, you’re much more likely to start treating your body better when you like it. Start working on loving your body first – that’s true self-acceptance.
4. Be YOU
You don’t have to be perfect, you simply have to be you. And when you’re comfortable with that you shine. Being authentic is the most attractive quality there is. Find a vibe or look that makes you feel comfortable and ignore the rest. Trends mis-sell the idea that we have to dress or appear a certain way in order to be attractive. The best thing you can be is you.
5. Celebrate your body as an instrument not an ornament
Go out, swim, dance, laugh! Celebrate all the amazing things your body does for you everyday.
6. Indulge your body
Whether it’s a meditation class, a weekly massage or a trip to the nail salon…. Do something different and indulgent that makes you feel good.
7. Stop your inner critic in its tracks
Most of us are much harder on ourselves than we would ever be with friends. Next time your inner critic rears its ugly head, call it out and make a list of the things you love about yourself instead.
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I agree with Dennis andI would add: If you decide to wear a mask for an added safety shield, use an N-95 one.
In my city (Toronto) more than 50% have had their first shot and a small number of people have received their second shot. I’m wearing an N-95 mask If I must go out, just in case.
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Leap tall buildings! It would increase my advocacy leverage.
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Slow, so I wouldn’t feel intimidated.
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Thanks so much for that Brianna. I fought very fiercely for independence since I grew up in the hospital for kids with physical disabilities. Although I need help with most of my activities of daily living, I was independent if I had choice and control over who was helping me and how they were helping me. That manifested itself in the new, at the time, attendant services.
Because of the introduction of attendant services in the community, I was able to leave the institution and live in the apartment by myself or with others and get the help intermittently throughout the day that I needed. From there, I was able to go to university, begin working and dating. I met my husband to be, and we had two children together. I retired a couple of years ago. Our children are now grown and in their 30s. We have one granddaughter who is turning 14 and another grandchild on the way.
The constant throughout everything was the ongoing availability of attendant services that I was able to control and direct. My parents would not have been able to help me, my husband probably would have buckled under the pressure of raising the kids and looking after me, and I know my mental health would have taken a deep dive.
I turned 63 this year, and I am aware that this is a very long lifespan for someone with SMA 2. I have been very lucky at key junctures my life. I never resisted solutions to help me be more comfortable and independent such as using a motoring wheelchair once I was in high school and most recently accepting the need for a catheter.
With new medical treatments, the next generation of kids born with SMA will have another form of luck. I hope they realize, however, that their life could be very different and that they will help fight for services needed for other people who must live with their disabilities.
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I use Google Assistant rather than Alexa. My are named by function: Christmas Tree, Tracy’s Lamp etc.
For fun, ask Alexa who is prettier – her or Google Assistant?
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Overheated. Am I supposed to make up a question now ? I never played this game!
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Great news, Brianna! I hope it goes well!
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I don’t find dietitians very helpful, either. They don’t understand about estimating the actual amount of movement we have (or do not have) compared to an average person.
For me, taking a lot of fibre turned everything into my intestines like cement. So instead of things moving along nicely, things ground to a halt. Maybe that will work, in smaller amounts. There is a high fibre version of Ensure.
I would suggest trying one thing at a time, giving it at least three days to see if it will have an effect. If you try two or three things at once, you won’t know what is working or if something is working opposite to something else. I would also suggest working with the gentlest intervention first – and go with your instinct.
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Sounds familiar! Many people have benefitted from my optimistic purchases: back scratchers, adapted nail clippers, hair bands, turning sheets, shoes, sandals, sunhats… the list goes on.
I do like my iPhone though!
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Yes… I think so. Let me know if this meets your needs:
<h2>Notes2self </h2>
Hydrocephalus Canada has introduced a new virtual assistant called Notes2Self to help youth with any kind of disability to balance the transition to independence, take ownership of their care and all other aspects of life.Notes2Self keeps an individual’s information all in one place, making it easy to track. It helps with:
- Keeping track of needs
- Managing contacts
- Handling healthcare results
- Planning goals
- Offering practical advice
And is completely confidential!
Find out more about Notes2Self https://mybrainwaves.ca/notes2self/.
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My sister (who also had SMA – may she rest in peace) used to joke that she doesn’t have pubic hairs, she has public hairs. So yes, privacy is a joke for us and yet is no joke, also.
I like it when people make a point not to look at my mail – even postcards, when they open them for me and put them in front of me to read. I always let them know that I appreciate that.
Sometimes people are not being judgemental, but if I’m sensitive about something, I may think they are judging what am watching on TV, what book I’m reading, etc. I just tried to let it roll off my back. I try to be attentive to my attendants’ sensitivities – so I won’t watch a horror movie in front of people who find it disturbing, for instance.
I’m able to hire my own attendants through the Direct Funding program available in Ontario, which means that I can usually find people with whom I have something in common. I can also provide them with training that emphasizes the need for confidentiality.
And if you freeze when you feel that people are waiting for you outside the bathroom door, asked him to wait in the living room or somewhere further away. Maybe play a radio in the bathroom so they can still hear you if you call, but the sound of anything else g0ing on will be drowned out.
Enjoy your privacy!
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Way to go, Alyssa! Congrats! I can relate since I reached 60 not too long ago and I have SMA 2.
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Someone I knew made her costume as someone in “the electric chair”:
– metal kitchen colander on head
-plain shirt with her prison number printed on
-attach wires or cords you have around the house
– dark makeup under the eyes, etc.