The Caregiver’s Voice will be on a hiatus until late January 2023. I will be departing Friday to volunteer with the American Red Cross in El Paso, Texas. 
While much of the humanitarian situation at the border has been politicized, the Red Cross remains impartial as a voluntary service called upon to assist the city of El Paso.
I joined the American Red Cross in June of this year to supplement my experience with CERT, the Community Emergency Response Team where I’ve served since 2004.
My parents instilled in me the value of service. While The Caregiver’s Voice focuses on caregivers for people with dementia, I will continue as a caregiver helping with shelter operations.
One of the major mottos of the American Red Cross is FLEXIBILITY.
While I’m 63 years old, my adventurous spirit has matured to age 30 after I injured myself behaving like a 16-year old.
This time, I will be bringing in the New Year with the Red Cross in El Paso while providing compassionate care. This is my first deployment out of the Los Angeles area. As a child might, I see this as an adventurous experience. I will serve with a dedicated team of volunteers. We will sleep on uncomfortable cots. Ohhhh, nooo! My back! My shoulders! We will work 12-hour shifts either 7AM to 7PM or 7PM to 7AM. We’ll get one day off during our two weeks of service.
While viewing the Pre-Deployment Video on YouTube, I took these notes:
Be: Flexible. Patient. Kind. Adaptable. Pitch in.
American Red Cross Values: Compassionate. Collaborative. Creative. Credible. Committed.
American Red Cross Fundamental Principles: Humanity. Impartiality. Neutrality. Independence. Voluntary service. Unity. Universality.
How many of these apply to us as caregivers for people with dementia?
Send your positive energy. We’re all in this together as we do what we can to create a much better 2023.
