American talk show host, Leeza Gibbons, has a personal interest in Alzheimer's disease and caregiving.   Her mother was diagnosed with the disease - and Ms. Gibbons  promised her that she would "tell her story and make it count."

To make good on that promise she established the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation in 2002.  The main program of the foundation is Leeza's Place (www.leezasplace.org or check it out on Facebook) which has facilities across the country.  The nearest one to Chicago is Leeza's Place at Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center, 113 Republic Avenue, Joliet, IL 60435;  815-741-0077.

The mission of the organization is to support caregivers so they may have positive experiences with their caregiving.  To that end, Leeza's Place offers the Ten Commandments for Caregivers.

The first commandment is "Take Your Oxygen First."  We are all told on airplanes that we must secure our own oxygen masks before helping our children.  If we don't help ourselves first, we won't be able to help them.   Caregiving  can be enormously demanding and a caregiver who experiences burnout can't assist anyone else.  Caregivers (I wish I had a synonym for this term) must learn to care for themselves - body, mind, and soul.  I have to admit I didn't follow this rule when being the caregiver for my parents, and I regret that.

It's such an important concept that, Ms. Gibbons uses this first commandment as the title for her book about caregiving.  Cowritten with a psychologist/social worker and a physician,  Take Your Oxygen First: Protecting Your Health and Happiness While Caring for a Loved One with Memory Loss, was published last year. 

As always, please feel free to comment; I appreciate feedback.  You can also submit your caregiving tips, share your experiences, or ask questions.  I'll try to answer questions in future blogs.  My goal is to be relevant to you and your caregiving.

Georgette H. Tarnow is an attorney, writer, and administrator in Chicago, whose forthcoming book, When Your Parent Becomes Your Child: Advice for Caregivers…from a Daughter Who Spent 23 Years Dealing with Aging and Dementia, chronicles her caregiving experiences.  For more information, please visit www.yourcaregiving.com