Ann Primeau Video Interview Part Three

Here is the last part of this three part video I recorded of my Mom. I know that this interview series will live a long time after I am gone on this blog. I feel very blessed to have been born and raised by this wonderful woman.



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Ann Primeau Video Interview Part Two of Three

Ann Primeau video interview part two of three recorded in 2004. Everyone should interview their parents while they are alive to pass on their legacy. This interview was recorded using a Cannon XL2 with very little supplemental lighting and a wired lavaliere microphone.



Film and Video Transfer and Restoration
800-647-4281

Ann Primeau Video Interview Part One of Three

Ann Primeau video interview part one of three recorded in 2004. Everyone should interview their parents while they are alive to pass on their legacy. This interview was recorded using a Cannon XL2 with very little supplemental lighting and a wired lavaliere microphone.

Film and Video Transfer and Restoration
800-647-4281

Action Step Two: Design a Granny e-mail update

It’s now time to take charge with your mom’s future care by asking your family for help. This could be your most powerful tool, and it is virtually cost free!!! I call it a granny update.

The granny update is an email designed to update family members on mom’s condition. Start out by briefly describing your purpose in the granny update.

I first conceived the idea as a way to keep family members updated on my mom’s condition after her heart surgery. Too many of our family members were calling the hospital asking for information when the nurse said to us one day that she wanted us, as a family to pick a family spokesperson.

Imagine the hospital having lets say 1000 patients. (They have more than that but just for the sake of this example, we’ll pick 1000). If they had to speak to more than one family member per day to update them on the patient, they would spend all their time communicating instead of caring for. So, I became the spokesperson with my brother Jim as the back up. Now back to my idea if family communication.
I decided on email since it was quick and convenient.
My purpose was to keep the family informed with mom’s progress healing and recovering from her heart surgery.

But it cannot all be serious. It had to have some character. So I decided to take it to the next level. I gave it some human element and stories. So the next step when designing your email update is to include a story or two about something mom did or said.

Mom would often times ask me where something was that she could not find. Sometimes she would ask me what I did with it. My first response was to get angry at her accusation but did a left turn with that thought when Nancy reminded me that she was not herself and I should try to understand.

Close the granny update with a request for action but do this non-offensively by asking the family for advise. On one occasion I asked if anyone knew a good cleaning service. One of Moms grandkids came forward and stopped by the next Sunday and cleaned her housetop to bottom.
There will be a lot of Doctors appointments so you might want to ask for help with taking mom to the doctor. This can be done non-offensively by just throwing the request out to the family. “Anyone available to take Mom to the heart doctor next Wednesday at nine AM?



The soft approach worked well for me but may not work so well for you. You might have to be firmer with your request but keep this in mind. You won’t get anywhere forcing a family member into helping if they don’t want to.

But why would they NOT want to help? Maybe they don’t have the patience. Maybe they can’t handle the thought of getting old and their own mortality.

Lastly, make the data list as large as possible for you granny update. Include all children, grandchildren, cousins, aunts and uncles. That way, the odds of achieving your number one goal of getting help are increased.

Lesion Two: “The Importance of Family”

You may or may not keep in touch with your family but either way still can benefit from this section. Since you have sought out this e-book, you are probably the one in your family who noticed that mom is getting old and needs some assistance with her life.

Caring for mom in her senior years can be a learning and rewarding experience.
There are direct rewards and indirect rewards. One of my indirect rewards was reuniting with my family.

I had sent out emails entitled “Granny Update #43”. The numbers were insignificant and simply to add some humor. In the email update, I would describe mom’s progress, problem areas, medicine and diet changes (like low sodium and liquids) as well as funny stories.

One such story is how mom one day decided she would look for a clothing item that has been gone for over 40 years. It’s not really funny per se but can be described funny in a written story based on your own family’s sense of humor.
Sure it seems kind of sad but it’s much more sensible to make light of it instead of bumming out over it.

Anyway, in the Granny Update, I mention to the family (my list had 3 siblings, 17 nieces and nephews (moms grandchildren) things they could talk to grandma about when visiting her. Also, I asked them for advise on things like cleaning and bathing mom. These were things I felt I needed help with. I had hoped someone would come over and help me with these things. Your list might be different.

My message here is find some things others can help with. Things like doing her cleaning and laundry. Since aging adults are not as neat as when they were young, they need their cleaning more frequently.
I also asked for help with bathing mom. She has since healed from her surgery and can take her own baths again.