The Upside To Aging is Back!

Little did I know when I posted The Benefits and Techniques of Gentle Chair Yoga with Sara Starr from Happy Yoga TV on January 14, 2020, that it would be our last post for nearly TWO years! That was certainly not our intention. The end of 2019 was a busy one for us here at the Upside and we wanted to take a short break to recharge and brainstorm new topics to share in the new year. But, just about a month into that rest, COVID-19 reared its ugly head.

At the time, I was working for a non-profit that advocated on behalf of Area of Aging Agencies in the New England area and it was all hands on deck to support these agencies as they worked to adapt and still provide critical services to older adults in a COVID world. So, with my sleeves rolled up, I dove into my day job leaving, virtually no time to dedicate to my other projects. I’ve missed writing and the community that I found while building the Upside to Aging, and I have been eager to get back to sharing and connecting with you all again!

I spent a bit of time considering what the most appropriate topic would be for our first post back, and I realized that picking back up from where we left off is not so easy. COVID rocked us, and while the pandemic affected nearly every industry, it did none more than the aging services. We are only beginning to understand the full impact of what just happened (is happening) to us, and it seems most appropriate to create a space for caregivers to share their experiences during the pandemic.

At the end of 2019, the Upside hosted a series entitled “Share Your Story” that was intended to help motivate and create a community for caregivers during the hectic holiday season. We had 5 incredible women share their caregiving stories with the Upside Community and the response to their candidness was INCREDIBLE! We had so many readers reach out both thanking these women for sharing their stories and to privately share their own caregiving journeys. It was beautiful and I would love to hold that space again for caregivers, this time we are inviting caregivers to share their COVID caregiving stories.

We invite all types of caregivers to submit their caregiving journey story and how it was impacted during this pandemic. We will share and promote each story through our channels in hopes to bring awareness to the true dedication and needs of caregivers.

We are welcoming articles on a rolling basis and will publish all that are submitted! If you have any questions or would like additional information, please email theupsidetoaging@gmail.com subject: Share My COVID-19 Story.

We came up with some questions to get you started:

Who are you a caregiver for?
How did COVID impact your caregiving duties?
Did the person you were caring for pass away during the pandemic?
Did you have access to caregiver support and resources you needed during the pandemic?
Did your loved one move into or out of a nursing home during the pandemic?
Were you able to take care of your self during the pandemic?