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Distraction opens the door to mistakes May 16th 2012, 05:00 With Mayo Clinic oncologist Edward T. Creagan, M.D. read biography Latest entries Distraction and mistakes May 16, 2012 Manage your time to reduce stress April 24, 2012 Tips for being productive online April 17, 2012 Helping veterans heal April 11, 2012 Men respond more aggressively than women to stress April 4, 2012 Connect with others who've been there. Share stories. Learn. Join Mayo Clinic's online community. Free E-Newsletters Subscribe to receive the latest updates on health topics. About our newsletters Stress blog May 16, 2012 By Edward T. Creagan, M.D. I recently spoke at a major medical meeting. As I was firing up my computer, a number of colleagues came up to talk. When it was time for me to speak, I began my presentation. About halfway through, my computer screen went blank. Need more help? If the stress in your life is more than you can cope with, get help right away. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Go to the nearest hospital or emergency room Call your physician, health provider or clergy National Alliance on Mental Illness www.nami.org 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) I'd forgotten to plug in my computer. Now this was a minor interruption. I took responsibility, and everything worked out fine. We know that when we're tired or distracted, we're not at our best. In most circumstances, the resulting mistakes are trivial. We forget where we parked our car. We can't find our keys. But let me share a story with you. At a major medical center, a patient was receiving care for cancer arising from the left kidney. Tragically, during surgery the patient's healthy right kidney was removed instead of the cancerous left kidney. Devastation for the patient, the family and the medical care team. How could this have happened? A careful review of the records revealed that some of the individuals involved in the care of this patient had been distracted by beepers and cell phones, which affected their focus and concentration. Most of us aren't surgeons and don't deal with life-or-death situations, but the lesson is powerful nevertheless. When we fail to focus, we make mistakes. Knowing that, what can we do to avoid it? How can we conserve our energy? How can we protect our priorities? Please weigh in. blog index Life's best lessons often emerge during caregiving role May 15th 2012, 20:40 Alzheimer's blog May 15, 2012 By Angela Lunde I'm writing on Mother's Day so it seems only natural that I'm thinking about my own mother. I feel tremendous gratitude that my mother, who lives only a few miles from me, doesn't have Alzheimer's or a related dementia. In fact, other than the normal age related issues that she brings up from time to time, she's both beautiful and healthy. Many of you may not be so fortunate, as your mother may have Alzheimer's. The relationship between an adult child and their mother with Alzheimer's is unique in each family. But always, the experience of caregiving is relational. It can't be separated from people's understanding of each other in the past, present, or even the anticipated future. The personal journey of each son or daughter in a caregiving role is rooted in past relationships. The mother-daughter bond (for better or worse) is central to the lives of women. For most of us, our mother knows us in ways no one else does, or even can. Only our mother fully knows the events surrounding our birth, only she may hold certain details of our childhood, our awkward quirks, most embarrassing moments and the pivotal milestones in our life. For some of us, it's our mother we look to, to share our joys, and who we turn to when we need to be comforted. So, when a daughter has a mother with Alzheimer's, the grief can be immeasurable. Leeza Gibbons tells of the first time her mother with Alzheimer's no longer recognized her: "I remember being home in my mother's house in South Carolina, helping her make the bed, and she was watching my every movement closely and trying to mirror what I was doing. Then she stopped and looked at me, and I said, "What's the matter, Mom?" She said, "You're a very nice lady. How do I know you?" And I just smiled and said, "You know me because today I'm your daughter, yesterday I was your daughter, and I'll always be your daughter." And she said, "Oh." "It stabs your heart," Leeza said. In my discussions with daughters who are caring for a mother (or father) with Alzheimer's, there are always those that inspire me with their grace. These women speak about the incredible sadness of not only losing a part of their mother, but feel like they're losing a part of themselves as well. Yet, in spite of this, I hear often from women about the unexpected gifts and the life lessons that prevail even in the darkest stretches of caregiving. Many share how their mothers with Alzheimer's teach them about living in the moment — existing outside of memory and occupying the moment wholly. These daughters have learned how to find a sense of contentment and love in the face of a bad situation — mostly by simply choosing to. They reveal that their mother's Alzheimer's teaches them that unleashing the joy in caregiving, and moreover in life, has to do with adjusting priorities, learning to value little steps, letting go of old ideas and expectations, seeing the delight in ordinary things and accepting life as it unfolds. Life lessons from Mom needn't end when Alzheimer's begins. In fact, the greatest may be yet to come. "How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!" - Maya Angelou blog index

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