Do you use the internet and e-mail? Are you a caregiver or receiver of care? We’d like to invite you to participate in sharing your thoughts, advice and information on our caregiving blog, “Helping the Helper.” You can link to it from our home page, www.mnseniors.org.

Most of us haven’t used blogs before and this is a first for the Senior Federation. Dictionaries define “blog” as “web log,” and “a personal web site that provides updated headlines and news articles of other sites that are of interest..., also may include journal entries, commentaries and recommendations compiled by the user.”

Blogs provide informational opportunities that most of us would not otherwise have, by allowing us to use a website to ask questions or share stories, opinions and items of interest on a website. This allows others who can benefit from our experiences, or who may have ideas that can help us to post comments and offer their thoughts and information. 

You can link to “Helping the Helper” from our home page, or access it directly at http://helpingthehelper.blogspot.com. The most current entries are the highest ones. You can comment on the newer entries or the older ones. To post a comment, scroll down the dark green center section to the bottom and click on “Post a Comment.” A new screen will come up that allows you to type in your story, thoughts or suggestions in a box on the right side. However, before you start typing, you have to sign in below the text box with your Google account username and password. 

If you don't have a Google account (most of us don't!), click on “sign up here” for the free username and password. You'll see a screen with several spaces to complete. The first is your full, current e-mail address - this will end up being the username for your Google account. Fill in the rest of the spaces, and click on “Continue” at the bottom. You'll be returned to the text box where you can continue posting your comment.

When you're done typing your comment, you can click “Preview” to read through your comment, or just click “Publish” to move your comment to the blog so that everyone can read it. If you want to post a comment to a different topic, click on the dates in the small, lighter green box on the right.

Caregivers, let us hear your suggestions and advice - sign in to Helping the Helper and share your knowledge!