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 From The Editor
Connie Trendel, Editor-in-Chief
Well summer is definitely over. Halloween
has come and gone, retailers have aisles of
Christmas decorations and gift ideas and
television has started its new fall season. I
have a confession; I enjoy some of the “reality”
shows. I do consider myself somewhat
selective, you won’t find me watching “My
Big Redneck Wedding” or “I Love New York”
but “Survivor” and “Amazing Race” are long
time favorites. When I saw an ad for “America’s
Toughest Jobs” I thought I’d check it
out. Contestants had to learn to perform
jobs like lumberjacking, bull fighting, and
oil drilling. Now I admit, those looked like
tough jobs filled with possible peril and
long days, and I also know that I wouldn’t
be able to do them. But what I did notice
is that none of the “toughest jobs” included
anything in health care, particularly no
direct caregivers. Talk about a tough job!
We hold lives in our hands, caring for our
nations most frail and elderly. We struggle
with staffing shortages, poor reimbursement,
a survey system that is designed to
find fault rather than promote excellence.
We work weekends, holidays and double
shifts. We are there when families break
down, there when our residents lose their
battle with on going illness.
On the television show I did see contestants
show pride in learning and performing
these difficult jobs but what I didn’t see
is what caregivers get. Not only the satisfaction
of a job well done but the joys of
knowing you’ve affected someone’s life.
That because you where there a person
sleeps better, takes nourishment, walks
when they didn’t think they would again.
Now that is a tough job! And I doubt if you
could find one with more internal rewards.
My Caregiver is dedicated to those doing
America’s Toughest Job! It is our mission to
bring you information to aide you in your
profession. From clinical pieces, such as “Flu and Pneumonia Vaccines in Long Term
Care”, to articles for our personal growth
and wellness like “Time for You”. As caregivers
we need to have a sense of humor
and stress busters, so we include jokes,
puzzles and funny stories. On going education is always important, so for those of
you enrolled in the Academy of Health Care
Professionals, we include the Professional
Points test. And as always, we love to get
suggestions from our readers. This is your
magazine! If you have a topic you’d like to
see covered let us know. Are you a closet
writer? We love to receive poems, articles
and stories from caregivers and plans are in
the works to include a “From the Frontline”
section for you to share your personal stories
of caregiving.
Every day thousands of caregivers leave
their families to care for another, struggle
to meet demands of surveyors and regulations,
experience the highest highs and the
lowest lows, all while loving one of America’s
Toughest Jobs! You are our heroes!
Attention Readers: Share your thoughts about
MyCaregiver. What do you like? What do you want to see included? Write
to me at: MyCaregiver, Attn: Connie Trendel 2709 West 13th St. Joplin,
MO 64801
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