A Poem for Senior Citizen Family Caregivers

I recently discovered a poem that I know speaks with emotion to anyone who is a caregiver of a senior citizen. If you know of a family caregiver who works passionately to meet the needs of their loved one, please feel free to share this with them.

As a Denver Front Range REALTOR who specializes in helping elders and their caregivers through the sale of a family house, I'm regularly fortunate to meet dedicated folks from Colorado who daily face the obstacles spoken of in the poetry below. - Jim Holmes

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"Caregiver"

By Sue Green

"The surreal world I live in

Thrust there over night

It was a stroke that hit him 

Since then just nothing’s right

The frustration of it all.

The many hats I wear

The tasks that never end

The new roles that I bear

I wake up in the morning

Wishing for the past

Stick to his routines

And never move too fast

There’s someone living in my house

I know there’s someone here

Why do I feel so all alone

Even when he’s near?

Some days he comes to visit

And talks of things we share

‘tho conversation’s brief

And oft’ too short to bear.

I try to see it his way.

I try to help him out.

I know he faces struggles

For him, no easy bout.

A different world he lives in

His own pace that he sets

I try to make him understand

He sometimes tries, and yet

Can I know the effort that it takes

To put together words to talk?

Can I feel his inner struggle 

When he tries to walk?

I can only be there

Let him know I’m here

I can sit beside him

And try to ease his fear.

It’s a surreal world we both live in

Just ‘one day at a time.’

With some days still a struggle

When all is not sublime."

Evergreen Home for Sale: 126 Mountain Sage Path, Evergreen, CO 80439

{Infographic} Fannie Mae Home Sales Outlook and Mortgage Rates for Denver Through 2014

Fannie Mae recently released their anticipated housing forecast for Denver, Colorado and the entire U.S. This 12-month forecast ranges from August of 2013 through August of 2014 and shows a robust home sales outlook over the next year. It also includes a look at the previous 12 months of action, back to the third quarter of 2012.

The number of homes sold will increase nicely and the average price of those homes will also rise. However, mortgage rates will also jump significantly.

Contact Me for Advice on Buying or Selling a Denver Front Range House

So if you've been considering selling your Colorado house, now would clearly be the time to begin heavily investigating the possibility of such and finding the right REALTOR for your needs.

At the same time, if you've been considering buying a Denver-area house, now is the time to do so before the mortgage rates move even higher.

Whether you're a buyer or seller, I stand ready to help. Contact me for a no-obligation discussion of your situation. I'll provide a free market analysis and happily offer advice!

Denver House for Sale: 1201 Eudora Street, Denver, CO 80220

Honoring Colorado Senior Citizens and World War Two Veterans: Rocky Mountain Honor Flight

You've probably heard of the Honor Flight Network, a national initiative that began in 2006 with the goal of flying every able and willing World War II veteran to Washington D.C. to visit "their" World War II Memorial. The trip is completely free of charge to these heroes.

Our local chapter of this excellent program is Rocky Mountain Honor Flight, a Denver Colorado based non-profit organization formed in 2007.

I was inspired to provide more information about Rocky Mountain Honor Flight when I happened across news that Dick Raiter, a veteran and resident of the Holly Creek Retirement Community in Centennial, would be treated to an Honor Flight to D.C. on September 12 of this year. Here's a photo of Mr. Raiter with his daughters Debbie Colussy (L) and Marty Frampton (R).

This is such a fantastic program that honors our veterans and offers them a 3-Day, free trip to D.C. where not only are they honored, but they receive the opportunity to honor and remember their friends and lost colleagues.

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All Honor Flight programs operate exclusively on donations from patriotic individuals and businesses. I hope you'll take a few minutes to learn more about our Rocky Mountain Honor Flight and consider a donation or perhaps even volunteering opportunities with the group. They do heartfelt work.

From Evergreen to Englewood to Lone Tree to Aurora to Centennial to Denver to Highlands Ranch and everywhere in the area, if you know of a veteran who should make the trip (and that includes terminally ill Korea or Vietnam veterans) please pass along the info to them and encourage them to fill out an application to be added to the list. - Jim Holmes

Donate to Rocky Mountain Honor Flight via PayPal

Photos courtesy of Stephen R. Brown Photography

Download Veterans and Volunteer Applications

Evergreen, Colorado House for Sale: 203 Sioux Trail, Evergreen, CO 80439

Activities for Seniors with Alzheimers or Dementia in Denver

In my job as a Realtor along the Denver Front Range - one who often specializes in working with senior clients or their caregiver families - I often get the honor of helping seniors with diminished memory. I see the heartache that family members experience as they struggle to deal with a parent who seems to be slowly slipping away.

But those same family members often share with me the ways that they cope and also work to motivate their parents to stay in the present. I thought I'd share with you some of their advice. - Jim

Are You a Senior Citizen or Family Member Who Needs Advice on Selling the Family Home? Contact Me for Advice

Utilizing the 5 Senses is one of the best ways to help seniors with dementia or Alzheimers enjoy activities that used to be a fun or important part of their lives.

The smells and activity of cooking or baking can bring back memories and inspire a senior. Offer them (and yourself) the Gift of Taste.

*Try encouraging them to help you bake cookies. They may not remember how, but drop some cookie dough in front of them and a senior citizen in the Denver area may just find themselves excited to spread the dough out and spoon it up. Hands often remember better than the mind.

*Sample different flavors of tea

*Sample holiday treats that can bring back warm memories, like candy canes, jelly beans, pumpkin pie, and the like.

Sound

*Very few things evoke memories like music. It's a powerful thing. Spend some time with your loved one and their favorite music. Again, holidays and special occasions typically stand out, so sing some holiday carols to them, along with Happy Birthday (insert the names of family members), Here Comes Peter Cottontail, etc.

*Grab a CD with some of their favorite music or tunes from the era in which they grew up. You can also take them to as many local concerts and performances as possible, be it a park concert in Aurora, a big show in Denver, or a school concert in Evergreen.

Again, whatever the music, it's a powerful tool that magically enlivens the mind.

Smell

Once again, the proper smells can bring life to the eyes of your Mom or Dad with dementia or Alzheimers. Stimulate their senses with the lavender sachets you know they love, or orange peels slowly simmering in a pot on the stove. As I mentioned before, holiday smells are powerful and bring back memories of their family members and special moments, so burn candles with holiday smells like peppermint, pumpkin pie, or other holiday spices.

These are just a few, simple things that have worked for other family caregivers along the Denver Front Range. If I may assist your family in the sale of a home, or advise or refer you to other senior-focused professionals that may be of help to you, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Aurora, Colorado Home for Sale: Villas at Cherry Creek 5031 S Auckland Court, Aurora, CO, 80015-3911