You Are Not Alone

The time demands of caregiving and the resulting exhaustion often combine to make caregivers feel very much alone. Poet Vikram Seth offers these poignant and yet comforting words:

All You Who Sleep Tonight

All you who sleep tonight
Far from the ones you love,
No hand to left or right
And emptiness above —

Know that you aren't alone
The whole world shares your tears,
Some for two nights or one,
And some for all their years.

This is from his 1990 collection of poems also titled All You Who Sleep Tonight

Conserve Your Willpower: It Runs Out

Timed to coincide with the Wired Health Conference: Living by Numbers, the Oct 2012 issue of Wired featured "Living by Numbers: The Wired Guide to Health", with "18 data-driven ways to be happier, healthier, and even a little smarter."

Starting at #1 is "Conserve Your Willpower: It Runs Out". The article says that "willpower isn't just some storybook concept; it's a measurable form of mental energy that runs out as you use it, much like gas in your car." And it suggests ways to make the most of your limited resources, including "don't spread yourself thin: Make one resolution rather than many." It points out that "Another tactic is to outsource self-control."

Similarly, you can only pay attention to so many things at the same time. Outsource whatever you can. That's how Unfrazzle lightens your mental load, by helping you remember and keep track of your self-care and caregiving tasks and allowing you to devote your attention to other things.

The conference itself featured great speakers, including architect Michael Graves, Olympic decathlon gold medalist Ashton Eaton, scientist Craig Venter, photographer Rick Smolan, and Quantified Self founders Gary Wolf and Kevin Kelly. You can view all of their talks on fora.tv.

Unfrazzle at mHealth Summit

Hot on the heels of Unfrazzle's public announcement at the Health 2.0 conference, and presentation at an Aging 2.0 meetup, we've been invited to participate in another great conference.

Unfrazzle will be featured in the EngAGE Pavilion, organized by AARP and Aging 2.0, at the upcoming mHealth Summit in Washington DC (Dec 3-5, 2012). The pavilion "will showcase engaging and innovative wellness and lifestyle companies serving the 50+ market."

Unfrazzle resonates strongly with all of the pavilion's themes:
    - Connected Independence (In the home)
    - Rethinking the Everyday
    - Engaging the Family
    - De-Stressing the Caregiver
    - From Sick-Care to 'Health'-Care, and Wellness

If you're in DC, come talk with us under the Unfrazzle sign.