Elevators, Planes and Arkansans

After a brief time with my feet firmly planted on good ole’ Mother Earth, I am finding myself flying the friendly (!?) skies more often these days. That is the bad news, the good news is what awaits me when I land.

I have been talking to so many of my personal heroes (family and professional caregivers) across this land that I say bring on the stale coffee, hard seats and multiple concourse sprints – it’s all worth it. For one example, if the fates are with me, I am surrounded by a gaggle of Fearless Caregivers in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as your read this. It will be great to see some old friends once again including Lance Robertson, the Director, DHS Aging Services for the State of Oklahoma and most recently, the nominee for the position of Assistant Secretary for Aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

For another, I have spent so much time in Arkansas recently that I feel like an honorary Arkansan. Late last year I was in Hot Springs and Little Rock to host Fearless Caregiver events and earlier this month it was my privilege to spend the day with some truly dedicated community leaders, as I was asked to speak to the Board of Directors of Alzheimer’s Arkansas. I bring this up because we spent a good deal of time talking about the reasons that these already way too busy professionals have volunteered to serve on this board. I shortly learned that, as much as their desire to serve alongside Elise Siegler, the organization's dynamic CEO and her small band of Alzheimer’s Warriors- each board member had a heartfelt inspiring story of what brought them to service.

I realized that one of the most important jobs they could have is to become Alzheimer’s Arkansas Ambassadors, sharing their mission with all those they meet during their busy lives. And in fact, everyone walked away with their own inspirational ambassador “Elevator Speech.” I also think it is vitally important for us as family caregivers to develop our short Fearless Caregiver Elevator Speech whenever we are dealing with the healthcare system. This is because I feel that one of our main jobs is to put a human face to our loved ones with everyone we meet along the way.

When your mom or dad is in any care facility or hospital or rehab, it is our job to make sure that the staff sees her as Penny from Peoria who paints lovely petunias, or Sally from Secaucus who loves to sing or sees your dad as Tom from Toronto who can still tear up towering tango, as opposed to the patient in bed 201-B window. It is good for you, for your loved one and even for the care professionals working with them.

I am pleased to announce that thanks to my new friend and Alzheimer’s Arkansas board chair, Sam Sellers of HomeHelpers Homecare, I will be returning to Little Rock next spring to keynote the organization’s Hope Conference on April 6th.

As we honorary Arkansans say, “that makes me happier that a pig in mud.”

Hmm...think I gotta keep working on that.

Please feel free to share your own personal Fearless Caregiver Elevator Speech in the comments below. It would be my honor to read them.