http://www.medicare.gov/caregivers/caregiver_stories_archives.asp This month the following stories have been added:<br> <a href=" http://www.medicare.gov/caregivers/caregiver_stories_7.asp"> Caregiver Stories</a> Gail Keele: A Caregiver's Story. When she took part in her local American Cancer Society Relay For Life® this summer, Gail Keele wondered whether the special lap for caregivers included those who had lost their loved ones Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:24:28 GMT ListGarden Program 1.3.1 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.medicare.gov/caregivers/caregiver_stories_9.asp Antoine Drake grew up the eldest of nine children. As the big brother, he helped take care of his siblings, learning to cook, clean, wash and sew before he was ten years old. He learned responsibility, discipline, and compassion at the knee of his mother Sandra, who was an active person throughout her life.<br><br>This training has been called upon in the past few years in an unexpected way. In 2004, Sandra Drake was boarding a plane when she was debilitated by a stroke. She lost the use of the right side of her body, and her speech was greatly impaired. Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:58:10 GMT http://www.medicare.gov/caregivers/caregiver_stories_8.asp When Patti Moy first walked around a Relay track, the Indiana resident was exposed to signs about the many services the American Cancer Society offers.<br><br>"I was amazed with how many things [ACS] does," said Patti. These signs did more than tell Patti about what ACS does in the fight against cancer...they also helped her learn the toll-free number for reliable cancer information: 1-800-227-2345. Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:59:28 GMT http://www.medicare.gov/caregivers/caregiver_stories_5.asp Since May 2007 I have been caring for mother who is 80 years old and has Alzheimer's disease. I have seven siblings, but I am really the only one involved in my mother's care. I also took care of my father before he died.<br><br>My mother was living in a nursing home for some time, but the level of care there was not satisfactory. She got pneumonia after three months in the nursing home and that has continued to cause problems since she has come to live with me. Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:00:56 GMT http://www.medicare.gov/caregivers/caregiver_stories_1.asp In the past five years, my mother, now 80, has progressed rapidly in dementia. And in the past year, her condition has deteriorated quickly, to the point where she now needs round-the-clock supervision. She's starting to lose the ability to speak and she has difficulty swallowing. This summer, she took a bad fall, so she is now bedridden... Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:02:13 GMT http://www.medicare.gov/caregivers/caregiver_stories_2.asp The three siblings in the Grant family are caretakers for their 78 year old mother, Lula Grant, who has Alzheimer's. They took over her care following the death of their father in April 2008. Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:02:59 GMT http://www.medicare.gov/caregivers/caregiver_stories_3.asp Five years ago, my 86-year-old father was falling ill. He had fallen a few times as a result of a stroke and was living alone in Newport News, Virginia. When I realized my father needed direct care as a result of his cardiovascular disease, I quit my job and brought him to Baltimore to live with me. Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:03:50 GMT http://www.medicare.gov/caregivers/caregiver_stories_4.asp Five years ago, I became a caregiver for my husband after he suffered the removal of a meningioma (tumor) that had been growing for 15 to 20 years and a subdural hematoma. Sadly, he then developed Alzheimer's disease. In 2006, an aortic valve replacement procedure caused an even greater decline in his memory. Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:04:49 GMT http://www.medicare.gov/caregivers/caregiver_stories_6.asp Over the past three years, I have been the caregiver for my mother who suffered a stroke. I refused to leave her in a nursing home and decided to care for her myself. Initially, I had to quit my job. Now, I have created a schedule for both of us and have returned to work at night. Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:05:37 GMT