When catastrophic illness strikes, someone close to the patient—a spouse, child, grandchild, or close friend—inevitably joins that patient on the arduous journey through treatment and recovery. Surprisingly, health-care professionals largely acknowledge that personal caregivers have more influence over the patient’s experience in the short and long term than any medical professional. That means that if you find yourself in the role of caregiver, you are—or can be—one of the greatest weapons in your loved one’s fight against cancer.

Now Dr. Michael S. Barry shows you how to create moments filled with positive energy, hope, abundant love, occasional laughter, and people (including you) who sparkle with a life-giving, joyful attitude, even amidst grave illness.

Journalist Elissa Strauss explores the powerful role caring for others plays in our individual and communal lives, weaving together research and stories from parents and caregivers with a feminist bent.

Behind our current caregiving crisis, in which a broken system has left parents and caregivers exhausted, sits a fierce addiction to independence. But what would happen if we started to appreciate dependency, and the deep meaning of one person caring for another? If we start to care about care?

With a curiosity and desire to understand more fully one of humanity's most profound and essential relationships, journalist Elissa Strauss she interrogates our societal obsession with going it alone and poses a challenge to let ourselves be transformed by the act of caregiving. When You Care weaves historical anecdotes and science with conversations with parents and caregivers to the young, old, disabled, ill, and more, revealing a rich array of insights about how care shapes us on the inside and the outside, for the better.

Care is a long-ignored force in our collective and political lives, as well as a deeply philosophical, spiritual, and psychologically potent experience. Moreso, an embrace of care by both women and men will lead to a more gender equitable future and help us reimagine what it means to be productive and live a meaningful life.

You Don't Have to Do It Alone

Whether you're prepared for it or not, chances are you'll take on the role of caregiver when a family member or friend is affected by a serious illness or injury, or when you find your elderly parent needs help. As you'll soon discover, the range of tasks and responsibilities involved are overwhelming. "Share The Care" offers a sensible and loving solution: a unique group approach that can turn a circle of ordinary people into a powerful caregiving team. "Share The Care" shows you how to:

• Create a caregiver "family" from friends, real family members, neighbors, coworkers, and acquaintances.
• Hold a meeting to organize your group, and introduce members to the Share The Care systems that guarantee every job will be done and no one person will have to do too much.
• Discover the hidden talents within the group, make the most of their resources, cope with group issues, and stay together in the face of adversity.

Included here are valuable guidelines, compassionate suggestions, and a simple-to-use workbook section that together offer support to free the patient from worry and the caregivers from burnout. "Share The Care" offers friends and family the best answer ever to the frequently asked question "What can I do?"

A Caregiver's Guide to Lewy Body Dementia is the first book to present a thorough picture of what Lewy body dementia really is. Combining current strategies for managing symptoms and behaviors with personal examples that connect to readers' own experiences, this is the ideal book for caregivers, family members, and friends of individuals seeking to understand the disease and provide support to their loved ones. Written in easy-to-read language, the chapters incorporate handy facts and tips throughout, definitions of key terms, and practical wisdom to help caregivers navigate the day-to-day. Links to online resources, support groups, and associations are collected at the end of the book for further reference.As a complete guide to Lewy body dementia, this revised and updated second edition includes coverage of recent research developments and topic areas of growing interest, including: Updated information on the latest drug and treatment options Brand new chapter on the psychology of dementia, explaining the ways dementia changes the brain and how caregivers can continue to relate to their loved ones Discussions of the various causes for dementia-related behaviors and responsive dementia care techniques for caregivers to follow Expanded section on alternative therapies in a new chapter dedicated to managing stress

The unthinkable has become a day-to-day reality: your loved one has Alzheimer's disease. How can you cope and where can you turn for help and information? This new edition of Alzheimer's has been updated to cover the most recent developments in our knowledge of this heartrending disease. Drawing on her professional and personal background in caring for people suffering from Alzheimer's, the author offers practical, intelligent advice for caregivers searching for hope.Show More

Becoming a carer can be a physically and emotionally exhausting task and although there is help available many carers do not have the time to look for it or know who to contact. This indispensable guide aims to be a one-stop-shop for the huge percentage of the population who, now or later, find themselves in a caring role, whether that involves shopping for a housebound neighbour, or giving up work to care full-time for a disabled child or confused parent. This book will also help carers care for themselves. It looks at the difficult feelings that go hand in hand with caring, including how relationships are affected. There's guidance on what to do when a carer stops coping, and how to prepare emotionally and practically for the time when caring comes to an end. There is also an extensive resource section that arms carers with all the phone numbers, addresses and websites they need. Contents: Foreword; Introduction; 1. Becoming a carer; 2. Finding your way through the care maze; 3. The carer assessment; 4. Working with the professionals; 5. Money matters; 6. More on money; 7. Working careers; 8. Caring at home; 9. Healthy minds and healthy bodies; 10. How relationships are affected; 11. So, how are you feeling?; 12. Sharing the caring role; 13. Getting support for you; 14. Reviewing where you are; 15. Residential care; 16. Beyond caring; Resources; Acknowledgements; Index.

What if we didn’t consider death the worst possible outcome? What if we discussed it honestly, embraced end-of-life care and prepared for the end of our lives with hope and acceptance?

In this empathetic and knowledgeable guide, TikTok star Julie McFadden – known online as ‘Hospice Nurse Julie’ – shares the valuable lessons she’s learned in her fifteen years as a palliative care nurse. Expertly weaving emotional insight with practical advice, you’ll find out:

• which medical interventions help and which make things worse
• facts and myths about hospice care
• the most important conversations to have before you die
• the many inexplicable and fascinating deathbed experiences people have
• how to navigate the grieving journey, before and after death

Top 10 bestseller . In 2004 Stephanie Nimmo was a career-focused, suburban mother of three, happily married to the love of her life, Andy. In December that year their fourth child was born and life as Steph knew it changed dramatically. From having to give up a successful career to care for her fragile, life-limited daughter, to learning how to cope with the challenges of her sons' autism diagnoses and the cruel blow of Andy's terminal cancer, Steph learned very early on that it's not the cards you are dealt in life but how you play them. Far from being a misery memoir, Was This In The Plan?, is a frank, open and no-holds-barred account of how a family was determined not just to survive but to thrive when the odds were against them. It will make you question your own attitude to life and how you choose to respond when unexpected events throw you off course. From a family of six to four in just over a year, losing her husband to cancer and then 14 months later, her 12-year-old daughter Daisy, following life-long illness, Stephanie writes with such powerful, raw honesty that it is impossible to not be moved and inspired by her story. Resilience is a hot topic right now and Steph is the epitome of inner strength. A regular in the press opening up the conversation about death and grief.

ABOUT THIS BOOK This book is written by an insider. A hospital administrator and practitioner who participated firsthand in laying the foundation for today's collapsing heath care system. A practitioner who then went on to make radical changes in the way he practiced his profession and his philosophy of health care delivery. A practitioner who is now hell-bent on making radical changes in this disastrous health care system he helped to create 30 years ago. This book is an insider's look at the sequence of events and decisions that led to the demise of our health care system. This book is designed to educate you to:

A meditation on the social political and philosophical questions of ageing, from the internationally acclaimed author of Returning to Reims

A few years ago, Didier Eribon’s mother began to lose her physical and cognitive autonomy. After several months of resistance, Eribon and his brothers were compelled to place her in a nursing home. A few short weeks later, his mother passed away.

In The Life, Old Age, and Death of a Working-Class Woman, Eribon continues the historical, political and personal reflection he began with Returning to Reims, this time turning his attention to the end of life. Tracing his mother’s rapid decline, and drawing on works by Simone de Beauvoir, Norbert Elias, Annie Ernaux and Michel Foucault, among others, Eribon transmutes his rage, sadness and the shame over her death into a strikingly nuanced portrait of the woman who raised him. Here, Eribon asks: how does our society treat the elderly? What is the place of bodies that can no longer assemble, discuss freedom or protest? Can the completely dependent speak for themselves – and if not, who can speak for them?

An honest, original and wide-ranging exploration of the relationship between ageing and class, politics and literature, this is a profound meditation on a fundamental human experience, too often overlooked.

""Taking Care of Barbara" is an inspirational resource book for anyone living in the world of Alzheimer's. There are clear and concise caregiver tips and references in dealing with the everyday struggles that come with the progression of the disease. What a gift to know and be able to anticipate the needs of our loved one when they may not be able to communicate them. Most importantly, this book is a celebration of family and the relationship between the caregiver and the patient. It lifts the caregiver above the everyday struggles and reminds us of where to find the strength and joy in the frequent frustrations of the day. It inspires us to love beyond the external happenings and shows us there lies a deeper and greater gain that will enrich our spirit. The world of Alzheimer's may feel overwhelming, but this book encourages caregivers to get out of bed, put their feet on the floor and face the day with renewed strength and purpose."
-Kelly Cason Hunter, Hospice Volunteer, Pediatric Nurse

The basic health care system in the United States is not working and must be fixed. The cost of a new, effective system of health care delivery would be instead of rather than in addition to what the US population is now paying for an inadequate, incomplete system. We must put the fiscal responsibility for health care delivery on the medical care sector that makes the decisions on what medications, what procedures and who gets treatment and when, that is, the providers of care, mostly the doctors. By doing this we can correct the more than fifty percent overpayment and misuse of funds currently in vogue. The book deals with the concept of the possibility of eventual coverage of everyone through the Medicare system as the current population ages. It explains the leverage that that single payer universal system such as Medicare, can generate to change the incentives for the providers of care resulting in a reduction of the overall cost. It also sets forth the concept of choice for the patient, the allocation of resources, and the restructuring of the medical education system as well as the recruitment and training of providers. Other problems such as organizational development, provider groups, malpractice, reinsurance through a universal system and other solutions are also dealt with. Today 45 million Americans have no health care coverage, while approximately 50 million are under insured due to high deductibles and co-payments. Many who are eligible for Medicare, federal health care insurance for the aged and Medicaid, federal health care for the poor, may be without coverage due to lack of access to services in the areas that they live. Practical solutions to these problems areaddressed. Robert Gumbiner, MD, with more than 40 years experience in the health care field as a practicing physician, a manager and a force in medical management education, derives much of his experience from successfully developing and managing one of the largest managed care companies in the United States for over 30 years. Drawing on this extensive management experience as well as years of studying health care systems around the world, Robert Gumbiner debunks the myths held by opponents to national universal health care and capitated prepayment. His development of the first capitated prepayment plan for Medical in the 60's in California and first contract for prepayment Medicare on the West Coast in the 80's gave credibility to his ideas that succeeded in reducing health care costs. He shows step-by-step how we arrived at our current dysfunctional system and argues persuasively how we have been misled by special interests in the medical/industrial complex into thinking a health care system funded through the government and managed for effective utilization will eliminate choice. In the final analysis the book's major theme is that the cost of a complete comprehensive system is "instead of and not in addition" to what we are currently paying and how to go about instituting such a system. It offers solutions that have been developed by the author throughout his long career in managing health care delivery systems. It is not a theoretical concept but based upon ideas, errors, successes and a logical, practical model.

A deeply felt account of the relationship between a mother and son, and an exploration of what care for the dying means in contemporary society.

The book is emotionally complex – funny, sad and angry – but above all, heartfelt and honest. It speaks boldly of challenges faced by all of us, challenges which are often not spoken about and hidden, but which deserve urgent attention. This is first and foremost a work of the heart, a reflection on what relationships mean and should mean.

There is much in the book about relationships of care and exploitation in southern Africa, and about white Jewish identity in an African context. But despite the specific and absorbing references to places and contexts, the book offers a broader, more universal view.

All parents of adult children, and all adults who have parents alive, or have lost their parents, will find much in this book to make them laugh, cry, think and feel.