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Category Archives: mental health


SibNews – September 2020

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Click to download SIBNEWS NOW

  • Meet Cate Ellis, a senior at UW-Oshkosh, and learn her story of struggle and triumph as a sister.

 

  • Find out what Kelly of Waterford wishes she had known before her sister with a seizure disorder was hospitalized.

 

  • Enjoy photos from SibDays of Summer and Teen Sib Leadership activities this summer.

This issue was written and designed by our Sibling Summer Interns, Zoe and Randy. Get to know them, along with our new Youth Coordinator on page 4. CLICK TO READ NOW

NOTE: This issue does not contain our usual Calendar of Events. Continue to watch for website, Facebook, and email announcements to get the latest updates.

 


Special SAFER AT HOME SibNews for you

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This special issue of SibNews features WisconSibs locked down during “safer at home” orders. DOWNLOAD NOW

 

  • Hear Courtney, a teacher and a mother of 3 siblings, tell how her family has changed during the lock down.

 

  • Be inspired by Stephenie Mlodzik’s siblings revealing rainbows in the clouds.

 

 

PLUS

  • High school and college WisconSibs tell it like it is in “What Siblings Would Like Parents to Know During This Pandemic”
  • Fresh Chive Soup recipe
  • MORE

Want a full-color, printed copy sent to you or a friend? Contact us

 


COVID-19 No Match for Peeps

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COVID-19 got you down? Stuck indoors? Looking for ideas to keep the kids happy while schools are closed?

PEEPS TO THE RESCUE!!

While in-person WisconSibs events are suspended for a few weeks, the Sibs Are My Peeps Photo Challenge is going strong! Kids, adults, grandparents…ANYBODY and EVERY BODY…can join in and have fun.

HOW TO ENTER

1. Using Peeps® and a box (not to exceed 24” deep X 24” tall) create a scene that depicts “Take a Peep Around the World”, the theme of the 2020 WisconSibsSibs Are My Peeps®Photo Challenge. Take your Peeps® on a magical, marshmallowy-sweet adventure to anywhere in the world. Melt ‘em, mold ‘em, dress ‘em up. Be creative. Find ideas at: https://wisconsibs.org/what-we-offer/sibs-are-my-peeps/

NEW OPTION!  Don’t have Peeps® or a box in the house and can’t get out to get some? No problem.  Make a “flat Peep” display using paper, some crayons, and of course your imagination.  Pinterest is a good place to find Peeps coloring pages or download this one. Peeps coloring page

2. Email no more than two photos of your scene to: [email protected] Photos must be .jpg, .jpeg or .png. Your email must also include:

Names, ages and hometown/state of all who helped create the scene.

Phone number and e-mail address (not for publication).

Title of your scene. (Extra points for cleverness of course.)

2-4 sentences about your creation or its significance.

All submissions will be reviewed and five winners will be announced. Winners will be awarded  “Sibs are my Peeps” t-shirts.

“In these confusing times, its even more important to find ways to use our imaginations as an escape or respite. We hope this challenge will provide some fun for siblings and many others. We also hope to raise awareness of the many roles siblings play in our lives as we approach National Siblings Day on April 10. We especially acknowledge the often-overlooked critical roles that siblings play when one may have a disability. ” says Harriet Redman, Executive Director of WisconSibs.

The Sibs are my Peeps®” Contest welcomes friends, families, or co-workers, or any other individual or group, regardless of age or ability. No purchase is necessary to enter the contest.

QUESTION?

Do I need to be a sibling?  Nope. Anyone can enter. Any age. Any ability. Any person. Any group, business, or school. From anywhere.

Do I need to be artistic? Nope. Just be willing to have fun with it. The theme this year is “Take a Peep Around the World”.

Does it cost anything? Nope. Only cost is purchasing Peeps which are about $1.30 a package.

May I post my creation on social media? You sure can! Just tag it with #sibsaremypeeps and #wisconsibs  To officially enter the challenge, please email your 2 photos to [email protected]

Additional tags could include #covid-19nomatchformypeeps   #takeapeeparoundtheworld

How do I enter?
Go to www.wisconsibs.org/what-we-offer/sibs-are-my-peeps to get details and see examples.

  • Create your scene.
  • Take 2 photos
  • Send photos to [email protected]. Enter anytime between March 1 and April 5, 2020 (deadline extended recently). Finalists will be announced on the WisconSibs Facebook page on National Siblings Day, April 10, 2020.

#covid-19nomatchformypeeps #sibsaremypeeps   #wisconsibs  #takeapeeparoundtheworld

 


Caregiver Conference in New London

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I’m so pleased to be presenting at an upcoming Caregiver Conference hosted by the Waupaca County Caregiver Coalition.  The main reason I’m so pleased is that they recognize that one of the many important roles of siblings of people with disabilities is that of a caregiver.

Whether that role is taking their sibling to appointments, to go shopping, acting as their guardian, or being a reliable companion and ready listener, SIBLINGS ARE CAREGIVERS, often at very young ages.

This conference will focus on Resiliency in Caregiving.  So regardless who you may be caring for, consider attending.


Caring For a Sibling with Mental Illness

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You’ve heard me say it over and over…siblings have the longest and one of the most significant bonds in the life of a person with disabilities. That’s why staff, volunteers, and participants with WisconSibs have such passion to support siblings from childhood through adulthood and why we CELEBRATE the unique role of siblings, especially sisters (by the way Celebrate Sisterhood will be October 30, 2018).

That passion inspires us to not only recognize the millions of siblings of people with developmental disabilities, but also people with emotional and mental health concerns.   An estimated 8.4 million Americans are caregivers to adult loved ones with a mental illness, most often a son or daughter, parent, spouse or sibling.

Sisters bond - mental health

Jean Moore (left) shares a laugh with her sister, Ruby Wilson, in front of the assisted living facility where Wilson lives on Oct. 12, 2017, in Clinton, N.C. (Andrew Craft for Kaiser Health News)

Recently, the Kaiser Health News published a wonderful story about two sisters, Jean and Ruby and their bond as sisters, one with paranoid schizophrenia.

The girls grew up very close, almost like twins. “They used to say our name as JeannieandRuby. It was like one person.”  But as they became teenagers, Rudy’s mental health changed and their lives began to diverge. As they became adults, Jean became a caregiver and an even closer sister.  READ STORY

WisconSibs offers Sibshops to children ages 8-14 who are growing up with brothers or sisters with emotional or mental health concerns.  Each session is held in a relaxed setting with games, snacks, and discussion about the concerns and the joys of growing up with their sibling.  Held at the Catalpa Day Treatment Center in Appleton, siblings can join in any time during the series from January through May, 2018.  For more information.

Download Catalpa Series Sibshop flyer Jan-May 2018

“Caregiving situations for siblings pack an extra emotional punch for the caregiver,” said John Schall, who runs the Caregiver Action Network, a nonprofit organization that supports people providing care to loved ones. “It’s not unusual for us to think at some point of being the caregiver for our elderly parents, but it’s a whole different thing to be a caregiver for a sibling who we always thought of as equals.”

JOIN US for a Community Dialogue on Family Caregivers – Monday, January 29, 2018 at the WisconSibs office, 211 E Franklin St., Appleton, WI – MORE INFORMATION