I Feel So Unnecessary

( Today's guest post is from Hallmark Care Homes discussing the early signs of dementia)                                                          Identifying Early Signs of Dementia We hear an awful lot about Dementia these days, mainly because far more people are now living well into old age. What is somewhat alarming is the estimate that, on top of the cases we already know about, there may be as many as 400,000 sufferers who haven’t even been diagnosed. One of your nearest and dearest may be one of them. So how do you spot the early signs of Dementia ? Unfortunately, the disease creeps up slowly and steadily so that, if you are seeing someone regularly, you might not even be aware of any deterioration....

Caregiverlist Summer Photo Contest Awards Gift Certificates and T-Shirts Share Your Photos and Be Entered to Win + Vote for the Winner Caregivers provide much more than just assistance to seniors, often becoming the emotional support for their senior clients as they continue to confront the process of aging. Caregiverlist, the career and training center for professional senior caregivers, announces a summer photo contest to honor professional caregivers.   Caregivers, Certified Nursing Aides, and Certified Home Health Aides may submit a photo of themselves with a senior client to the Caregiverlist Summer Photo Contest for Senior Caregivers .  The contest starts Monday, July 8, 2013, and runs through Saturday, August 31, 2013. Winners will be announced before Labor Day. The Caregiverlist Facebook page hosts the contest. Contest winners will be chosen based on popularity via voting.  Caregiverlist will award $100, $50 and $25 Amazon gif...

The Last Lord of Paradise-Generation One: Jeanne and Anton ( The Last Lord of Paradise #1) By: Vivian LeMay 66 pages Publisher: Vivian LeMay Publishing Publication Date: December 2011 Genre: Historical Fiction * I was given a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.* Purchase Here:   Amazon   Synopsis:   Secrets of the past--Love stories wonderful and sad, span six generations in this Kindle series. I remembered that autumn day when a party from the Compagnie Franche de la Marine visited our village in France. They came to recruit men for the war in New France and Papa allowed them into our orchard. I was only sixteen, enchanted by the handsome young marines in their blue uniforms... It was the sparkle of energy in his blue eyes that caught me, and I smiled. His gaze was so intense I thought he'd pierced my soul and as he bowed to kiss my hand, his very presence dominated me. Anton had that affect on everyone he met. We wed qui...

Grapes of Death: A Tangled Vines Mystery ( Tangled Vines # 1) Genre: Mystery By: Joni Folger 288 pages Publisher: Midnight Ink Publication Date: September 2013 * I was given a copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.* Where to Purchase: Midnight Ink   Amazon   Barnes and Noble   Add it on:  Goodreads Book Synopsis:   A vineyard inheritance mystery has Elise tangled up in murder Elise Beckett has a wonderful family, a good job on the family-owned River Bend vineyard, and a smart, stable boyfriend—even if he does live five hours away. But when her long-distance beau offers her a dream job, she's torn between her family responsibility and exciting new horticulture research. Before Elise has time to think about her decision, Uncle Edmond, the family's money-loving and temper-toting black sheep—shows up to bully her mother into giving him ownership of the vineyard, which he ...

The Bohemian Love Diaries: A Memoir By Slash Coleman Genre: Non-fiction/Biography 249 pages Publisher:Lyons Press Publication Date: July 16, 2013  Where to purchase: Amazon   Barnes and Noble   Add it On: Goodreads   * I was given a free copy via the publisher in exchange for an honest review.* Book Synopsis: Infused with southern charm, this irresistibly weird and wonderful story chronicles Slash Coleman’s upbringing in a warped but warm-hearted household of eccentric artists. Descended from a posse of off-beat immigrants--including a grandfather who danced at the Moulin Rouge--and raised near the capital of the Confederacy during the 1970s and ’80s, young Slash sets out to find true love. Unfortunately, he’s his own worst enemy. Obsessions with Evel Knievel, rock band KISS, and crisscrossing the country to find the girl of his dreams set his quest for happiness on a hapless course.        ...

Honeymoon in Paris: A Novella By Jojo Moyes Genre: Women's Fiction 75 pages Format: E-book Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books/Viking Publication Date: June 27, 2013 Purchase the Book Here:   Amazon   Barnes and Noble   Kobo   iTunes Add it on: Goodreads * I was provided a free copy via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Book Synopsis: At the heart of Jojo Moyes’ heartbreaking new novel, The Girl You Left Behind , are two haunting love stories—that of Sophie and Édouard Lefèvre in France during the First World War, and, nearly a century later, Liv Halston and her husband David. HONEYMOON IN PARIS takes place several years before the events to come in The Girl You Left Behind when both couples have just married. Sophie is swept up in the glamor of Belle Époque Paris but discovers that loving a celebrated artist like Édouard Lefèvre brings undreamt of complications. Following in Sophie's footsteps a hundred years later, Liv, after a whir...

Dance the Moon Down by R.L. Bartram Genre: Historical Fiction 301 pages Publisher: Authors Online Publication Date: November 4th, 2011   * I was provided a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.*   Synopsis:     In 1910, no one believed there would ever be a war with Germany. Safe in her affluent middle-class life, the rumors held no significance for Victoria either. It was her father's decision to enroll her at university that began to change all that. There she befriends the rebellious and outspoken Beryl Whittaker, an emergent suffragette, but it is her love for Gerald Avery, a talented young poet from a neighboring university that sets the seal on her future. After a clandestine romance, they marry in January 1914, but with the outbreak of the First World War, Gerald volunteers but within months has gone missing in France. Convinced that he is still alive, Victoria's initial attempts to discover what has bec...

Published: June 2013 201 pages I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A guilty conscience is holding him back, but how much longer can he resist her? Two months ago, Carter made the decision to cut ties with Shayla Kline, a woman who he nursed back to health. A woman – the only woman – he’d ever fallen in love with. A woman whom he later found out was his brother, Jacob’s ex-fiancé. It was bad enough that Jacob had committed suicide, leaving a note written specifically for Carter to take care of Shayla. It was even worse when Carter felt himself longing to be with her. Deciding to be loyal to his brother and not his heart, he goes on to live his life without her but soon finds that his very soul aches for her closeness. Shayla is convinced that Carter doesn’t love her. And there is no way she can force herself to stay where she’s not wanted, even after he makes a pop up visit to her job and takes her out to dinner. Having h...

Yesterday my grandfather had a consult for cataract surgery.  Here's what went on: Tech 1: She asked questions to clarify what was on the forms we filled out. " I took 12 shots in my eyes", my grandfather said. " You did ?", she asked. " Yeah." " I walk a 1/10th of a mile every day." " That's good." Wish I did that." We then went in another room: Tech 2: " Man I just ate lunch, and right now I feel fat as a cow. You ever feel that way after you eat?", the tech asked. "Yep.", said my grandfather." (I didn't say anything, cause, well I didn't really know what to say after that question.) " Now, I'm going to do a test.  Do my hands smell like onions? I washed 'em but I don't know if that helped." " I took 12 shots in my eyes."  " Really?" " Yeah." After that we sat in the waiting room again and he started exercising his legs....

Recently I've had to fill out more medical history forms. According to the company they've reduced paperwork and made it more simple for the patient. So how come there seems to be more forms with basically the same questions over and over?  It's a puzzler. So, anyway...after receiving an envelope bigger than my head filled with the forms I got to filling them out. 292 pages of the same thing. Sometimes I think of writing off the wall answers just to keep them on their toes. Not that I ever would. No. Not me.   Name: WONDER WOMAN Sex: Yes. Please. What are some of your hobbies? Playing chicken with pedestrians. Do you consume alcohol? Heck yeah. Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill is da bomb. If yes, how much? As often as I can. Have you used any illegal drugs? I like the ganja. What languages do you speak? Swahili Marital Status: Unfortunately Race: No thanks, I can't run very fast. Have you had any surgery in the past? Prostrate removed.

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Published: March 2013 161 pages Synopsis: Sharing a family's experience and lessons learned to help you through the unexpected responsibility of becoming a family caregiver. The lessons learned include advocacy, caregiver concerns, organizational helpers, grieving, and a variety of other topics while caring for my wife who was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme - a stage 4 brain cancer. My Thoughts: I felt the love the author had for his wife coming through the pages as I read them. He shares his caregiving experiences from his wife's initial diagnosis to when she lost her battle with cancer. Mr. Pendergrass takes those experiences to give the reader help when navigating their own heal...

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.   Publisher: Musa Publishing (January 20, 2012) 289 pages Synopsis:   After thirteen years on the run Violet McLaughlin returns to Carter's Crossing, South Carolina, in 1962, with her young daughter, Sassy. The Crossing is right outside of Beaufort and the turmoil of the Civil Rights movement will forever leave its scars on the young and impressionable girl. As Sassy stands before the imposing white farmhouse for the first time, with no knowledge of her history but that the McLaughlin's are her kin, Sassy begins a journey that will tear her apart before it heals her. Growing up among secrets that will forever damage her relationship with her mother, she attempts to make sense of her past. But will her passion for art and her love for Thomas Tierney be enough to sustain her future? Will the puzzles she must solve to discover who she is be worth the journey?   My Thoughts: ...

  The Family That Stays Together One of my fondest childhood memories was going to the county library that was located at the end of   my street.  In those days, absent video games, Xboxes, and iPads and when television only had three channels, I spent a lot of time at the library checking out book after book.  My parents encouraged my reading and challenged me to read more than the ten books for the library’s summer reading club.  That was always such an easy contest. My sisters and I spent lots of time outdoors making up stories about each other, entertaining ourselves and showcasing the tales to a neighborhood audience.  While a Girl Scout, my Scout Leader, Mrs. Ford surprised me with a blank journal as gift.  “I noticed you liked to write,” she said when she handed it to me.  I wondered how she knew that and at the same time wondered if it was true.  Did I really like to write?  I knew I liked to read, but was I a writer? ...

* I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. 354 pages Publisher: Itoh Press ( Dec. 2012) Synopsis: Nineteen year old Emylene Stipe is a 2nd generation Goth who, like every teenage girl, is trying to find her place in the world. One night she comes upon an old painting in an antique store and is compelled to purchase it. When she brings it home an image of a young woman appears in the sketch and then magically materializes in her apartment. Emylene nick-names her 'Poinsettia' and they soon become fast friends. But Poinsettia has an ulterior motive for her sudden and strange intrusion into her host's life which causes Emylene to question her whole belief system. My Thoughts: The author writes with vibrant, descriptive language and had the voice of a 19 yr. old down perfectly. I felt as if I was there with Emylene and her parents. It was also a fresh twist on a vampire tale and that kept the book interesting for me. I ...

I was given a copy via the author in exchange for an honest review. Where you can find it: Amazon    Add it on   Goodreads Synopsis: Mother Earth, wounded by the human race and its disregard for her resources, will recruit human souls to serve Her and turn against humanity. A rising force festers; Gemini, a clan of paranormal beings will systematically possess and destroy towns, cities, and states. Amidst the chaos, a forbidden relationship between Onyx, a lead Gemini, and Violette, a human, begins. They will both find themselves in the middle of a revolutionary war that will either save, or destroy our world. My Thoughts:   A fresh perspective for YA paranormal novels that doesn't include vamps or werewolves. The author gives us the Gemini- beings that live in the Earth's core and do Mother Earth's dirty work. She's mad and she's got a plan- using the Gemini to fight back humans who have taken advantage of her resources.I found them ...