Letter in the Charleston Daily Newspaper, Charleston, W.Va.

Dear Editor,

I would like to share my experience and some information with our community. I am the sole caregiver of my father who has dementia and aphasia. For those who are not experienced with the definition of these conditions I will explain them first. Dementia is the loss of ones cognitive or intellectual functioning. It can include losing the ability to completing tasks as common as remembering our name to completing complicated math equations. It affects problemsolving and judgement as well. Aphasia is a communciation disorder that inhibits a person to use or understand spoken or written words.
As we live in a time where people are living longer, there is a guarantee that we all may come to a time in our lives where we must be caregivers to an elderly loved one. Although there are alternatives to caring for these loved ones besides in our own homes, there are several people who are willing to make the sacrifice to do this. Some common reasons can even be due to guilt or fear of their loved one not receiving the proper care.
These are the reasons I am writing to you today. I would like to make available the information these individuals may need should they choose to have their loved cared for at home. The resources to obtain this information can be found in the following websites.
www.duq.edu/ancds
www.asha.org
www.aphasiahope.org
www.aphasia.org
There is no doubt that the education of family members about aphasia and affective communication strategies has a significant positive affect on the patient and caregiver relationship. This in turn can have a positive affect on the patients quality of life and the caregivers overall capability of maintaining their care at home. I am part of an advocacy group for caregiver education that meets every other week at a local church. We hope to provide our community with a newsletter that will contain information to guide caregivers that are experiencing the obstacles of taking care of their loved ones at home. I would appreciate it if you could print this letter or just the information contained in it to let people know there is help out there, if you know where to look. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Mildred Hodges, caregiver

This week was a whirlwind of writing. The process of writing is always interesting to me. I like writing things out rather than typing it into a computer. I say this because often when typing in a computer I erase the previous work. I like looking back on where I started and then realizing how far I have come.
I know what I would like to accomplish with this project. It seems to have become a sort of self expression piece given the opportunity to write a poem for one of the genres. I like what I wrote to begin with but I know I will probably make more changes.
This week I tried to work on my powerpoint project. I struggled with putting music to the slideshow. I also haven't found pictures I'd like to include yet. I hope to spend more time on the design. The research I have done has all the information I want posted in the powerpoint project, I just want to make sure I gather the right photographs.
It was interesting to see how everyones moving along on the genres. I think the editorials are the most difficult to write because they must include supporting evidence. I find it hard to take evidence that I have found and formulate my own opinion. This usually take me a lot of time. I read the information again and again and finally I start to write. I just keep reminding myself to ask myself why do I think this evidence is saying this or why do I agree or disagree. Its a long process for me.
I looking forward to getting some feedback from my group and Mrs. McComas. I tried on my peer reviews to include suggestions on how each person could move forward from what they have already written. I dont expect them to take my advice but I didnt want to not get some sort of suggestion.

Prompt: In developing the three skills recognized in the article reading, writing and research, the relationship between mentor and apprentice must seek what particular goal pertaining to learning?

I believe as a mentor to an apprentice a clear understanding of the definition of knowledge would be a place to start to assure that both are beginning on the same page of discovery. This is what the author of the article coins as "meeting students where they are at." I think this is an important concept to adhere to a mentor's process of teaching but I believe they must include an encouragement to seek beyond that position. I think with a clear understanding of how to do reserch would implement
this notion to seek beyond what they already know.
In the article it seems to sum up the idea of "craft-quality of inquiry" by stating that first the subject matter is appropriate for investigation and explanation, secondly how the subject matter is examined, and thirdly what constitutes evidence and finally what claims are valid. In teaching this to students, clarity on absorbing information would be more defined. I think students would better understand the concept of examining information to learn rather than regurgitating the information to just get by. In turn the process would help them to move beyond a place of security and into a world of discovery. I think students would have more gratification in the outcome of obtaining knowledge rather than feeling strapped into the rut of linear education.
Clearly this relationship between mentor and apprentice demonstrates multiple facets of developing a students learning career. The three R's in the article should be inclusive in this learning career. In writing a student can learn self expression, in reading a student practices comprehension, and research leads to developing your own ideas or choosing a side. All of these concepts lead to a better understanding of knowledge.