(Time Period: Throughout Mom’s time in the care home.)
In the first several months of memory care, Mom still conversed fairly well. Over time she spoke less, though she enjoyed listening to conversations. Paragraphs of speech were reduced to single sentences, often punctuated with a smile, laugh, or nodding of her head to demonstrate she was tracking with us. Read more
(Time Period: The first few weeks after Mom moved into memory care.)
Six weeks after my father died, we moved my mother to a smaller assisted living community so that she could receive more personalized care. We were relieved to have found what appeared to be the perfect setting for Mom, yet we were anxious about her transition. Eager to relay everything there was to know about Grace to her caregivers, we typed a brief summary of her background and personality traits, as well as more detailed notes that covered her daily routines and preferences. The bullet points ranged from Mom’s bedtime habits to her favorite TV programs and from her clothes and most comfortable outfits to the big topic: Food. Read more
I’m not sure how this was possible but upon graduating from college, I embarked on a job hunt without ever having practiced a mock interview with the university’s career department. While my business major pals were scripted and ready, this liberal arts gal was a bit less prepared. When the interviewer posed a detailed situational question that sought to determine how I would handle a problem employee, these are the words that came out of my mouth: I’d fire him! Perhaps some of you are thinking that my response was right on but that wasn’t judged to be case. Read more
So what do you do for work? Tell me about yourself. You will encounter some version of this familiar icebreaker on job interviews, airplanes, networking events, and cocktail parties. A variety of factors will affect your answer including how you feel that day and whether you’re in the mood for a real conversation. Read more
“I’m asking more questions vs. jumping to conclusions.” That’s what Madeline¹ counted as a success in the week that transpired since our last conversation. Rather than assume she knows what someone else is thinking, Madeline, an orthodontist, says she is making a point to ask more questions so that she can respond better to both her patients and staff. Having the courage to ask is one of the attributes of a leader that, previously, we had identified to strengthen. Read more