Cool Resources

What's a "Cool Resource?"  It's cool (and very useful) because it does one or more of these things: it makes you think, helps you plan, provides you with new and unique information, helps assist you with solving problems, or simply makes you smile. 

We're always looking for useful and interesting articles, materials, lists, worksheets, and information to put in front of you.  You need not have Personal Safety Net expertise or knowledge to enjoy a Resource - our aim is to cover the bases of life's challenges.  

Download Resources

Here's a great way to get started with building your Personal Safety Net. Download a diagram which will show you the corners of your life. 

Then you can check out the many articles we've made available to you - known asCool Free Downloads - that cover the wide variety of information to help you learn more in each of the eight (8) corners of your life. The Cool Free Downloads are catergorized under: Career Path, Community, Family & Friends, Finances, Health, Intellect, Spirit, and the Stuff of Life.

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An issue closely related to Women's Month (March) recently came across our desk and piqued our interest. TheWomen's Media Center conducted a 2013 research project on the status of women in the US Media. What they found will help you see that equality of gender is still a goal rather than a reality.

To read the entire PDF click here or to read a summary of the findings, check out our Cool Free Resource here.

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The easiest and most simple approach to understanding a PSN is to use the wallet card. If you take the card and fold it in half you'll see that the front directs a reader "in case of emergency" to "look inside". It bears the internationally acknowledged emblem signifying to first responders that this is serious stuff. On the backside the card gives a place for you to write your name and contact information.

We suggest that you complete only those sections that you are comfortable with, knowing that emergency personnel and others will have access to whatever is on this card. Only you, however, will know how comfortable you feel with balancing potential emergency needs with privacy.

Inside the card are spaces for you to write the names and contact info for the three (that's right: THREE) people who you authorize to speak on your behalf if you cannot speak for yourself. Here you can add your allergies, and information on your insurance and on your primary care provider.

Using Your Wallet Card

What to say to others about Your Wallet Card

Request wallet cards

Download a Sample Wallet Card

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All of us need help from time to time. It's good to think carefully about what you like to do, what you do well, and what you could most happily offer someone in need. Check out these tips fo asking for help (left box), as well as a two-stage way to ask for help.

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We have observed that when care-team members demonstrate the following attitudes and behaviors, they allow care receivers to develop and use their strength, flexibility, and resourcefulness.

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Through our hands-on experience giving and sharing care, we have learned to identify many common “helping strategies” that actually complicate the situation or cause problems. Many of these attitudes and behaviors, while well-meaning, may cause a care partner to become weaker or more dependent upon you.

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Follow a simple experiment and learn how to face challenges; see challenges as overwhelming and you're likely to be defeated; attack them with a plan, support and hope, and you'll overcome.

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If you have an aging parent or other close relative who lives alone, at some point you may become worried that he or she is not managing well.  Typically, family members' concerns center around one or more of the following: mobility, nutrition, housekeeping, grooming, financial management, medication use, safety, energy level, mood and mental status of their senior relative.

No matter how difficult it may to be to look after their day-to-day needs, some older adults are reluctant to ask for help or accept it when offered. We've listed the most common reasons and what you can do to overcome them.

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How do parents and young adults effectively readjust to living in the nest together? Though you have missed your little cherubs, their return can cause the nest to topple. The Seven Keys to Peace and Harmony, and a lot of communication will help you get through it.

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Take this short check-list test to gauge the strength, as well as your understanding of the organizational needs of a Personal Safety Net. Maybe you have some holes in your safety net - this self-evaluation will help you see them and help you direct your energies towards quick steps for the right fix.

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Surveys reveal that Americans have, on average, very few trusted confidants in our lives. Forty years ago, we had six to seven, now it's two to three. If you thought you were alone searching for trusting relationships, you're not. You're in the majority. Now the question is who can you trust and how do you know it?

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Research shows YOU act upon advice at a much higher rate when you have for it, as opposed to when it is unsolicited. You could benefit from asking more often, and from varied sources. Don’t assume that you always know what is best for our "unique" situation. Don’t be afraid of looking weak. Don’t give in to bashfulness. Have courage and ASK!

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