December 2021 Holiday Season Caregiver Care Holiday Hacks: Easy Solutions to Simplify the Most Wonderful/ Stressful Time of the Year by Keith Bradford While the holidays are a joyous time to spend with family and friends, they can quickly become a hassle if you’re not prepared. Holiday Hacks includes over 600 handy tips for everything holiday-related. Travel Hacks: Any Procedures or Actions That Solve a Problem, Simplify a Task, Reduce Frustration, and Make your Next Trip As Awesome As Possible by Keith Bradford Including more than 600 handy tips for everything from how to score discounts on transportation to packing efficiently and avoiding lines, delays, and crowds, Travel Hacks will make every aspect of your travel experience hassle-free. Happiness Hacks: 300+ Simple Ways to Get—and Stay—Happy by Adams Media In Happiness Hacks, you’ll find 300 quick and easy ways to increase happiness in every area of life, including improving relationships, finding joy in your career and workplace, and developing a supportive community. According to the American Cancer Society*, a cancer caregiver is a “person who most often helps the person with cancer and is not paid to do so.” They “serve as home health aides and companions” and “may help feed, dress, and bathe the patient...arrange schedules, manage insurance issues, and provide transportation...are legal assistants, financial managers, and housekeepers.” It’s no surprise that caregivers often end up neglecting their own needs and wants in the course of their caregiving activities. At MD Anderson, caregivers can utilize social workers without needing a referral, and their services are free. The social workers have a helpful article “Cancer caregivers: 4 tips to reduce stress” at bit.ly/3EkfQxk_MDAnderson . *www.cancer.org/treatment/caregivers/if-youre-about-to- become-a-cancer-caregiver.html The winter holiday season can be exciting and fun, and it can also be stressful and feel burdensome. In 2021, COVID-19 and its variants are unfortunately still with us, making for a more complicated holiday season. Fortunately, there are practical ways to mitigate the season ’s stressors. First, read the MD Anderson Cancerwise article “How to practice self-care this holiday season.”* Next, check out some of the helpful resources that The Learning Center has to offer. We recently purchased three new books that could make your holidays, travel days, and all your days easier: Holiday Hacks and Travel Hacks, both by Keith Bradford, and Happiness Hacks. *bit.ly/3cN3tO9_MDAnderson TLC Connect Monthly updates from The Learning Center Caregiving During the Holidays CancerCare How is it possible to balance the needs of family and friends, when your loved one may not be in the holiday spirit? How can you express your own concerns without being perceived as insensitive? To manage these pressures while caring for your loved one, use each letter in the words SUPPORT to remind yourself of seven key coping strategies. Learn more in this CancerCare fact sheet. www.cancercare.org/publications/145- caregiving_during_the_holidays Featured Resource Featured Books Caregivers