As The Primary Caregiver, Should I Journal My Feelings About Alzheimer?s Disease?
As The Primary Caregiver, Should I Journal My Feelings About Alzheimer?s Disease?
Being a caregiver is stressful and difficult. It involves contradictory feelings, thoughts and frustrations. When you have to care for a loved one who has Alzheimer's, you have to be patient, talk with a calm voice and never "talk down" to your loved one.Journaling your thoughts and feelings will definitely help you cope with the situation. Write in your journal all that comes through your mind and your heart; nobody but you will read it. It is between you and your journal. Let your pen guide you through the pages. You may want to do some extra research on Alzheimer's disease to better understand the process and stages your loved one will pass through. If you are a little bit knowledgeable about the disease, the process of caring will be easier on both you and your loved one.You can keep daily notes on your loved one, such as bathing or eating changes, whether she becomes agitated, and so on. It can also help you remember things to discuss with the doctor.The good thing about a journal is that it is handy and you can write whenever you feel like it, day or night. It will never contradict you. On the contrary, it will aid you in dealing with your internal emotions; it will relieve your mind and your soul. If you are uncomfortable about writing, then it may be easier for you to express your feelings by recording them on a tape recorder. If you like, you can recall some family gathering you all had together, a camping trip or fishing trip where your loved one caught a BIGGGGG fish! You can read this part to him and it might trigger some memory in your loved one?a memory that was lost to Alzheimer's.Journaling will also help you release the burden of care giving you may have. Releasing the burden through the pen will definitely ease the pain. But journaling should not be the only way out for these strong feelings you have. You may want to enroll in a support group. You can check through the Alzheimer's Association if there is such a group in you area. Speaking to other people will help in getting all these negative emotions out. And most of the participants are dealing with exactly the same emotions because they have to care for a loved one who has dementia. Sometimes, speaking out loud and getting out these feelings will do you a lot of good and you will feel much better after. You may even make friends through these groups, friends that will be able to support you as time goes on.Remember, you are not alone. You have friends and family to talk to. Maybe you can ask a family member to help with your loved one. It will ease the burden and give you more time to yourself, to journal and to recharge your batteries.About The AuthorWilliam G. Hammond, JD is a nationally known elder law attorney and founder of The Alzheimer's Resource Center. He is a frequent guest on radio and television and has developed innovative solutions to guide families who have a loved one suffering from Alzheimer's. For more information you can visit his website at www.BeatAlzheimers.com.
What Posting Articles Online Did For My Google Page Rank In 90 Days – Writing-Articles
What Posting Articles Online Did For My Google Page Rank In 90 Days
Article Marketing Builds Momentum and TrafficWhen I started submitting articles to ezines and directories
I was happy just to get an occasional article written and
widely posted online. I assumed that was the point. But I've
since learned about equally important considerations--like
the Page Rank of the site where it appears.Each article was written to inform and appeal to the human
readers. Search engines were incidental in my mind. I wasn't
systematic about submitting new ones on a regular basis so
they built momentum. Nor was I careful to emphasize my
website's keywords and principal theme. But I do now--it
matters. Despite that, the articles already posted have been
hard at work for me.My list of places for submitting keeps expanding. And it's
further refined with every article posted. After a year and
a half, that's a large list (nearly a thousand). And I'm a
known quantity with sites and ezines that consistently post
my contributions. My best-received article to date shows 181
Google mentions (with their related incoming links).Starting from Zero Online VisibilityI launched a new website mid-June, 2004, using article
marketing as the primary traffic-building strategy (Yellow
Page Sage, getting your Yellow Page ad and website working
together). The first article was a strong one, getting 135
Google cites.Over the next three months I wrote and posted seven articles
related to Yellow Pages or Local Search. The website also
provided extensive information about Yellow Page advertising
by other authors--making it very sticky and content-rich.Creating an Article 12-packAfter they were submitted to my list, I combined those seven
articles with five of my prior marketing articles - twelve
in all (with a link to each article). Instead of offering
them as onesees, I now send the whole batch (letting the
receiver pick what they want).I prepared a letter offering the 12-pack, asking if they want
to receive similar future ones. That letter is only sent to
websites I've visited. I'd never offer it to a site unless
there's a good fit. Sending out the 12-pack is an ongoing
activity, and another way to expand my list. Some websites
have posted the whole set - twelve return links from one
letter!Surprise! Google Noticed me!Since I was busy getting the site polished and launched, it
caught me by surprise that in two months my Google Page Rank
was 3/10 (the first time I checked). And the following month
it had climbed to PR 4/10 - without doing anything but post
seven articles. I didn't yet realize it was getting extra
mileage because of the strength of my list. So moving to PR
5/10 can't be too far off, can it?Then I started paying serious attention to Page Rank--the
posting site's AND mine. Page Rank shows the extra
importance that Google gives to the number and popularity of
websites linking to yours. Links from higher Page Rank pages
elevate your Page Rank.Two Things I didn't Know When I Started Posting ArticlesFirst - I posted my articles to get website traffic and
incoming links (via the Sig at the end of each article). I
treated every article appearance as equivalent. But Google
doesn't. All those articles appearing in high-Page-Rank
directories were giving an extra boost to my score.So I've re-assessed my list. Websites with higher Page Rank
are now my "A List." Articles that they publish are doing my
Page Rank way more good than other places. Of course, I
still need to post widely and pursue both types of links.Second - I didn't realize that the "Page Rank of a website"
doesn't exist. Every page on a site has its own Page Rank.
(Although there are ways to make every page on the website
share the same Page Rank, it's not widely done.) So a home
page with PR 7/10 that links to mine from a PR 3/10 interior
page only provides a PR 3/10 link. That awareness influences
who and how I link with other websites anymore. And it
dictates the way I organize external links on my own
websites.Get a Free a Page Rank ToolTo assess other sites, you need a Page Rank tool. You can
compare multiple sites athttp://www.phplivesupport.com/google_pagerank.phpLilengine.com provides a free Page Rank Tool. Use theirs, or
you can post it on your own website.http://www.lilengine.com/tools/pagerank-tool.phpArticles Give your Ideas a High Profile all Over the
InternetThe benefits of article marketing are well documented. And
if it can build your Page Rank as well, it's even a better
use of your time. Start writing and posting articles that
show your expertise. And start getting the traffic and
attention you'd been wishing for.--Dr. Lynella Grant http://www.promotewitharticles.com Use posted articles to build your business Expert in the "body language of printed materials" Author, The Business Card Book and Yellow Page Smarts grant@promotewitharticles.com (719) 395-9450
My Introduction To Northwest Coast Native American Art
My Introduction To Northwest Coast Native American Art
I had lived in Vancouver very briefly as a child and it was during that time when I was first exposed to the art of the Northwest Coast Native American Indians. It was the towering colorful totem poles out in Stanley Park that everyone gazed at with wonder and appreciation. It took about 30 years later during a return trip to Vancouver when Northwest Coast Native American art caught my eyes again.I was in Vancouver for business and landed at the city's new airport terminal. One could not help but notice the huge native carvings near the arrivals area. Later on during my stay, I decided to wander around in the Gastown district. It was in these shops and galleries in Gastown where I fell in love with Northwest Coast Native American art. I saw many wonderful wooden plaques representing different animals. There were also art prints, paintings, masks, wooden bowls and even furnature with these animals either painted or carved right into the pieces.The colors and designs, which might be considered a bit exaggerated to non-native eyes, were striking as well as bold. I knew at that time that I wanted to include some of this magnificent artwork on my walls back at home. So I bought two plaque carvings and carried them home like newly found treasure.Historically, the native Indians who lived along the river valleys and coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest were all hunters and gatherers. The region was blessed with abundant resources from both the seas and forests. These people captured in their artwork the animals they hunted and observed. These included bears, killer whales, eagles, ravens, salmons, wolves, hummingbirds and even frogs. Chiefs and mythical characters important in their legends such as thunderbirds were also included as art subjects.Northwest Coast Native American art is just only recently gaining some major attention in some galleries and museums around the world. Compared to other native arts such as Inuit (Eskimo), exposure of Northwest Coast Native American art is still rather limited to the northwest coast of Canada and the United States.This form of artwork is virtually unknown to most parts of the world including many regions of North America. This will hopefully change as more people from around the world travel to Vancouver. The future winter Olympics in 2010 up in Whistler, BC will also have a positive impact on the region's Native Indian art. I personally believe that Northwest Coast Native American art has a lot of potential to be internationally recognized and accepted.Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery (http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca), an online gallery specializing in Inuit and Northwest Native American art including carvings, sculpture and prints. Free Spirit Gallery has numerous information resource articles with photos of authentic Inuit and Native Indian art as well as free eCards.