Caregiving can be enormously challenging, terrifically rewarding, and potentially draining. Caregivers often wonder how they will navigate the tumultuous waters of caregiving and not lose themselves completely. The Mindful Caregiver highlights two major approaches to help transform the journey: adopting a practice of mindfulness, which helps caregivers become more self-aware and fully present with the person with whom they are caring, and honoring "the spirit-side" of caregiving which offers new ways of connecting to one another. These approaches take into account not just the needs of the care recipient, but also the needs of the caregiver and other people in his/her life. Remembering to care for oneself when someone else is in great need can be difficult, but with the suggestions and tips in this book, any caregiver can cultivate routines and practices that benefit everyone. Solutions that caregivers can use in their day to day routines are provided, so caregivers who use them can feel more empowered and hopeful. Using real stories throughout, Nancy Kriseman offers self-care exercises and addresses a wide variety of subjects such as setting realistic expectations, making the best possible decisions, advocating effectively, and evaluating available resources and services. The Mindful Caregiver provides inspiration, encouragement, and guidance for finding ease in the caregiving journey. By emphasizing both mindfulness and the spiritual dimension, caregivers can reap the gifts of caregiving, appreciate the special moments, and find strength during the challenging times.

Surviving Family Care Giving: Co-ordinating effective care through collaborative communication is a practical book for family and other home carers in a variety of situations. Grainne Smith shows how to provide the most effective coordinated care possible through constructive communication and collaborative care, to support individuals who have long term physical and mental health problems, including conditions from Alzheimers to alchoholism, autism to anorexia, schizophrenia to multiple sclerosis.

Written from personal experience as a family carer, Grainne Smith includes interviews with other carers and service users; and draws on years of working with children and their families in tough times. Chapters such as Challenging Behaviour, Confidentiality, and Motivation illustrate some of the many problems facing carers who support vulnerable individuals. Problems include isolation, feelings of helplessness and uncertainty about what best to do, what to try to avoid and the lack of much needed relevant information and resources to support care-giving.

"Surviving Family Care Giving" vividly illustrates the daily difficulties experienced by care givers who offer long term care and support and shows how to work through them. It provides suggestions on ways to build both constructive collaborative care and good family teamwork through effective communication, and how to ensure continuing care and support for the person at the centre of all the efforts. This book will be essential reading for family and other carers, including professionals trying to create ongoing continuity of care for their patients outside of treatment and education centres."

Surviving Family Care Giving: Co-ordinating effective care through collaborative communication is a practical book for family and other home carers in a variety of situations. Grainne Smith shows how to provide the most effective coordinated care possible through constructive communication and collaborative care, to support individuals who have long term physical and mental health problems, including conditions from Alzheimers to alchoholism, autism to anorexia, schizophrenia to multiple sclerosis.

Written from personal experience as a family carer, Grainne Smith includes interviews with other carers and service users; and draws on years of working with children and their families in tough times. Chapters such as Challenging Behaviour, Confidentiality, and Motivation illustrate some of the many problems facing carers who support vulnerable individuals. Problems include isolation, feelings of helplessness and uncertainty about what best to do, what to try to avoid and the lack of much needed relevant information and resources to support care-giving.

"Surviving Family Care Giving" vividly illustrates the daily difficulties experienced by care givers who offer long term care and support and shows how to work through them. It provides suggestions on ways to build both constructive collaborative care and good family teamwork through effective communication, and how to ensure continuing care and support for the person at the centre of all the efforts. This book will be essential reading for family and other carers, including professionals trying to create ongoing continuity of care for their patients outside of treatment and education centres."

Genuine, life-giving spirituality calls us to be our best selves and to bring out the best in others, each and every day. It calls us to care_for God, others, and ourselves. In Practicing Presence, popular spiritual writer Kerry Walters shows us how to integrate care into our daily lives on the road to happiness and holiness. As Walters reveals, we do not need to be professional caregivers to nurture a creative, intimate, and meaningful openness to our deepest selves, to others, and to God. We simply need to be OpresentO to who God is and who we are as images of God.

Being a caregiver is a difficult role. It requires pateince, tenderness, selflessness, and hard work. Providing care for another human being, whether a parent, loved one, or as a professional requires a level of self love and self care as well that can not be ignored. While it may be a rewarding experience to care for a loved one, it can also be a stressful, both emotionally and mentally. It is easy to get caught up in taking care of someone else that you forget to take care of yourself and your own physical and emotional well being as well. How do you navigate your role as caregiver without losing yourself? Conscious Caregiver can help readers navigate caring for their loved one, whether that means full-time in house caregiving or hiring support from outside services. With information on talking to their loved ones about their situation, how to handle the emotional stress, practical information on medical needs and finances, and how to take time away to care for themselves, Conscious Caregiver can help them care for their loved one and themselves at the same time.

Publishers Weekly hailed the first edition of Eldercare 911 as an "excellent, comprehensive guidebook." Today it continues to be the best "how to" book on the market for anyone facing the challenges of caring for an elderly loved one. Now this revised, updated, and expanded edition will offer the best step-by-step recommendations for over 200 situations, providing even the most experienced family caregivers as well as professionals with invaluable new insights and guidance for managing eldercare needs. Through a wealth of updated information and practical, easy-to-follow solutions to nearly every problem, the message throughout is "You are not alone." Eldercare 911 helps caregivers face reality with support and encouragement while reminding them: "When you've done the best you can, no one has the right to ask more of you."

An indispensable, comprehensive reference for family caregivers. Caregivers hold the key to the health, well-being, and happiness of their aging relatives, partners, or friends. The Caregiver's Encyclopedia provides you with all of the information you need to take the best care of your loved one-from making major medical decisions to making sure you don't burn out. Written by Muriel R. Gillick, MD, a geriatrician with more than 30 years' experience caring for older people, this book highlights the importance of understanding your friend's or family member's overall health. With compassion and expertise, this book will help you "think like a doctor." The content * helps you navigate the health-care system * shares important information about treating basic geriatric syndromes, including delirium, dementia, and falls * teaches you about preventive care options * enables you to manage medical decisions related to both acute and chronic conditions * discusses what Medicare covers-and what it doesn't * guides you through different approaches to care * weighs the risks and benefits of hospital vs. home, nursing home, or hospice care * provides a detailed list of medical supplies that you might want to keep on hand * offers you additional resources and emotional support Throughout, Gillick provides helpful information and concrete concepts that caregivers can put into practice today. Authoritative, comprehensive, holistic, and highly illustrated, The Caregiver's Encyclopedia will help you figure out how to be the best caregiver you can be.

Research-based advice for people who care for someone with dementia

Nearly half of U.S. citizens over the age of 85 are suffering from some kind of dementia and require care. "Loving Someone Who Has Dementia" is a new kind of caregiving book. It's not about the usual techniques, but about how to manage on-going stress and grief. The book is for caregivers, family members, friends, neighbors as well as educators and professionals--anyone touched by the epidemic of dementia. Dr. Boss helps caregivers find hope in "ambiguous loss"--having a loved one both here and not here, physically present but psychologically absent.Outlines seven guidelines to stay resilient while caring for someone who has dementia Discusses the meaning of relationships with individuals who are cognitively impaired and no longer as they used to be Offers approaches to understand and cope with the emotional strain of care-giving

Boss's book builds on research and clinical experience, yet the material is presented as a conversation. She shows you a way to embrace rather than resist the ambiguity in your relationship with someone who has dementia.

No Regrets: Hope for Your Caregiving Season shares Rayna Neises' personal heart-warming stories and practical suggestions for journeying through one's caregiving season. As people age, so do their loved ones. The healthy integration of caring for an aging parent requires being able to walk them all the way to the end of their life while still having a life to walk back into. No Regrets helps caregivers consider how being intentional in their season of caring will allow them to care for their loved one well while at the same time not losing themselves in the caring.

Clarify your thinking on an issue that can tear families apart!Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer's Disease: A Christian Perspective is the touching story of a woman's daily struggles as a caregiver to her mother who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. You'll learn how God's presence in her life has helped her. You will also find practical day-to-day tips for living with a loved one suffering from senile dementia and how your spirituality can make the journey easier for both of you. This important guide provides an honest description of the emotions you may be forced to come to terms with while dealing with a loved one or parishioner with Alzheimer's disease and how God's presence in your life can help lift that burden.Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer's Disease gives you firsthand accounts of the stages of pain, despair, acceptance, and victory that you may experience while caring for someone with Alzheimer's to let you know that what you are feeling is normal and that God will help you overcome these challenges. Alzheimer's disease often goes undetected until its later stages. This informative book renders a clear description of the disease, alerting you to the known warning signs of dementia, and preparing you for the possibility of such a diagnosis.Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer's Disease is filled with tips and suggestions to make caring for your loved one easier for both of you, such as: learning to separate the person from the disease researching the disease and keeping informed about every aspect of this progressive and irreversible neurological disorder realizing that you need emotional support and should seek help from your pastor, church care group, or best friend discovering how having power of attorney and creating a living will can prevent many problems in the future understanding that to care for your loved one at home is challenging and that taking simple steps, such as "baby-proofing" your house, will prevent traumatic disasters turning your anger and guilt to positive energy and avoiding emotional drain and strainThis unique book offers you solace amidst the turbulence of caring for someone stricken with this difficult condition. Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer's Disease provides an open and honest description of how faith can comfort and support you and your family while you care for someone with dementia.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A heart-breaking story of courage and compassion from the front line of the toughest battle our nurses have had to fight. Anthea Allen's writing is raw, honest and full of love for those she cares for.' Susanna Reid An extraordinarily powerful memoir based on the diaries of intensive care nurse Anthea Allen, who worked on the front line of one of the largest hospitals in Europe during the Covid crisis. A nurse for 25 years, Anthea thought she had seen it all. But with Covid came the greatest trial, personally and professionally, of her life. Thrust into hourly challenges - many a matter of life and death - while on the Critical Care units of St George's in south London, Anthea processed her shocking experiences through writing. It started with an email to request biscuits. But her appeal to help boost the morale of her fellow nurses soon turned into a series of astonishingly moving stories detailing the realities of being a front line worker. It wasn't long before Anthea's accounts were circulating far and wide, capturing the attention of the nation and being feted by the likes of Richard Branson and Good Morning Britain's Susanna Reid. In Life, Death and Biscuits, Anthea reveals the human story behind Covid, sharing tales of hope, fear and laughter from both her 'family' of nurses and the patients she encountered. Forged in a crisis, this deeply affecting memoir offers a unique and inspiring perspective on the pandemic that simultaneously tore the world apart and brought us together. Both heart-wrenching and uplifting, it serves as a testimony to love, resilience and the human spirit.

Life expectancy is going up. Our parents are increasingly likely to be living into their eighties and nineties. Many find themselves in the position of caring for their parents when they are already retired themselves, or not in good health, or still have children to support financially. What can we do for the best in these situations? Do you feel your parents are a burden? Do they feel that? How do we cope with the huge costs of geriatric care? How do we manage this conflicting tangle of interests? This is a practical book that looks at the range of alternatives and provides realistic solutions. It also recognizes the negative and ambivalent feelings that plague families on all sides. Extreme old age is not easy. We need to help our parents through the difficulties they inevitably face during their final years, and balance those needs with equally pressing ones elsewhere. Dan and Lavinia Cohn-Sherbok, drawing on their own experiences, here provide a succinct overview of the problems and answers for all with elderly parents.

Dementia is increasingly being recognised as a public health priority and poses one of the largest challenges we face as a society. At the same time, there is a growing awareness that the quest for a cure for Alzheimer's disease and other causes of dementia needs to be complemented by efforts to improve the lives of people with dementia. To gain a better understanding of dementia and of how to organize dementia care, there is a need to bring together insights from many different disciplines. Filling this knowledge gap, this book provides an integrated view on dementia resulting from extensive discussions between world experts from different fields, including medicine, social psychology, nursing, economics and literary studies. Working towards a development of integrative policies focused on social inclusion and quality of life, Dementia and Society reminds the reader that a better future for persons with dementia is a collective responsibility.

Being a Good Carer is essential reading for anyone who cares for an elderly person, whether as a professional or as a loved one, in its promotion of the role dignity and respect should play. This accessible and detailed guide includes practical tips, checklists for best practice, and case studies from a wide range of carers that addresses solutions to common problems and giving expert advice on how to deliver compassionate and dignified care to older people. It is easy to read and provides anecdotal experience from carers and tips from the experts. Uniquely, Amanda Waring also provides support and guidance for the carer, on how to maintain energy and commitment, recognise the signs of compassion fatigue and where to get help if you need it. Essential reading for anyone who cares for an elderly person, whether as a professional or as a loved one, Being a Good Carer advocates for dignity and respect for all.

A caregiver's journey often contains beliefs and behaviors that act like emotional landmines and can cause serious damage. Avoiding these landmines, while finding a path to safety, requires caregivers to hear from someone with experience they can trust. Author and radio host Peter Rosenberger draws upon three decades of caring for his wife through a medical nightmare to discuss seven caregiver landmines that wreak havoc in a caregiver's life. Helping them navigate to a place of safety, 7 Caregiver Landmines: And How You Can Avoid Them equips fellow caregivers to live a healthier, calmer, and even more joyful life-because "Healthy Caregivers Make Better Caregivers!"

Learn how to make elder housing more homelike Taking an incisive look at assisted living for the elderly, Assisted Living: Sobering Realities is an important book for the professionals who work with aging Americans and their families. This vital book provides a multidisciplinary overview of the world of assisted living for older Americans. With unique insight and a keen clinical perspective, Assisted Living examines a variety of topics: the dilemma of aging in place, the realities of end-of-life care, and the ins and outs of residential care supply. Easy-to-read graphs and charts make the data user-friendly.This book delivers current information on: the housing needs of elderly renters, with case studies of 109 residents in two facilities the need for improved housing and services for low-income elderly, providing an overview of how successful facilities take a comprehensive approach in linking low-income elders with community-based services the advantages and disadvantages of residential care facilities research about aging in place from providers and residents' perspectives the unmet needs of the elderly who qualify for housing assistance how visitation patterns affect the overall satisfaction and quality of life of assisted living residents

Clarify your thinking on an issue that can tear families apart Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer s Disease: A Christian Perspective is the touching story of a woman s daily struggles as a caregiver to her mother who suffers from Alzheimer s disease. You ll learn how God s presence in her life has helped her. You will also find practical day-to-day tips for living with a loved one suffering from senile dementia and how your spirituality can make the journey easier for both of you. This important guide provides an honest description of the emotions you may be forced to come to terms with while dealing with a loved one or parishioner with Alzheimer s disease and how God s presence in your life can help lift that burden.Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer s Disease gives you firsthand accounts of the stages of pain, despair, acceptance, and victory that you may experience while caring for someone with Alzheimer s to let you know that what you are feeling is normal and that God will help you overcome these challenges. Alzheimer s disease often goes undetected until its later stages. This informative book renders a clear description of the disease, alerting you to the known warning signs of dementia, and preparing you for the possibility of such a diagnosis.Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer s Disease is filled with tips and suggestions to make caring for your loved one easier for both of you, such as: learning to separate the person from the disease researching the disease and keeping informed about every aspect of this progressive and irreversible neurological disorder realizing that you need emotional support and should seek help from your pastor, church care group, or best friend discovering how having power of attorney and creating a living will can prevent many problems in the future understanding that to care for your loved one at home is challenging and that taking simple steps, such as "baby-proofing" your house, will prevent traumatic disasters turning your anger and guilt to positive energy and avoiding emotional drain and strainThis unique book offers you solace amidst the turbulence of caring for someone stricken with this difficult condition. Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer s Disease provides an open and honest description of how faith can comfort and support you and your family while you care for someone with dementia.

Eighty percent of persons with dementia live at home, and the family members caring for them are often overwhelmed by the enormous responsibility and the complexities of care. This book is designed to support the caregivers and help them understand the needs and feelings of the person for whom they are caring. A central focus is the goal of sustaining a loving family relationship between the caregiver and the patient.

Developed from a training program for professionals and family caregivers, this book teaches the basics of dementia care while emphasizing communication, understanding and acceptance, and personal growth through the caregiving experience. The result is a guide that integrates the practicalities of caregiving with the human emotions that accompany it.

Winner, 2016 Outstanding Publication in the Sociology of Disability, American Sociological Association, Section Disability and Society Examines the experiences of mothers coping with their children's "invisible disabilities" in the face of daunting social, economic, and political realities Recent years have seen an explosion in the number of children diagnosed with "invisible disabilities" such as ADHD, mood and conduct disorders, and high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Whether they are viewed as biological problems in brain wiring or as results of the increasing medicalization of childhood, the burden of dealing with the day-to-day trials and complex medical and educational decisions falls almost entirely on mothers. Yet few ask how these mothers make sense of their children's troubles, and to what extent they feel responsibility or blame. Raising Generation Rx offers a groundbreaking study that situates mothers' experiences within an age of neuroscientific breakthrough, a high-stakes knowledge-based economy, cutbacks in public services and decent jobs, and increased global competition and racialized class and gender inequality. Through in-depth interviews, observations of parents' meetings, and analyses of popular advice, Linda Blum examines the experiences of diverse mothers coping with the challenges of their children's "invisible disabilities" in the face of daunting social, economic, and political realities. She reveals how mothers in widely varied households learn to advocate for their children in the dense bureaucracies of the educational and medical systems; wrestle with anguishing decisions about the use of psychoactive medications; and live with the inescapable blame and stigma in their communities.

Although Hendershott has spent many years teaching and writing about the sociological aspects of aging, she writes that "none of this could have prepared me for the overwhelming challenge of caring for my own mother-in-law in my home." She introduces baby boomers as the unexpected caregivers of the coming decades. The process of family denial about symptoms, work-family conflict, and the unique problems of children of caregivers are explored in an effort to find solutions to the caregiving challenge. Social science research is made accessible and is coupled with anecdotal information gleaned from interactions with other caregivers and personal experience. Throughout the book, Hendershott shows family caregivers that by gaining insight into their motivations for caregiving and by drawing from family support and help from the community, they can move beyond maladaptive caregiving coping styles, to a rewarding reality-based caregiving experience.

Primary caregivers are the most important people in the diminished life of anyone who has progressive dementia, such as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, and Huntington's Chorea. Dementia in all its progressive forms has a devastating impact on caregivers and other family members. They experience guilt, stress in the extreme, exhaustion, and numerous other serious problems that affect their physical, mental, and spiritual health. This book inspires and empowers caregivers so that they can maintain their own health, happiness, and sanity in order to provide loving care for the person who is ill. With descriptions of the problems and exercises to help in finding solutions, the book covers: the needs of caregivers; communication and feelings; grief and its various phases; sharing and support; and, stress management techniques for everyone involved.

The Joyful Caregiver teaches how to be the best caregiver for a loved one in order to help fight their chronic illness. Author, speaker, teacher, and caregiver Josephine Grace uses The Graceful Process (TM) within The Joyful Caregiver to bring ease and comfort to caregivers and their loved one as they get the care and help they need to fight their chronic illness. For those who are serious about dedicating a portion of their life to the service of a family member who is facing chronic illness, The Joyful Caregiver is for them. Within its pages, caregivers learn how to: Help their loved one beat their chronic disease through clear and informative practice Communicate clearly with doctors and prevent medical errors with their care Get extra support and resources when they need them Care for themselves in the process and be guilt free Make decisions coming from love rather than fear Stay strong and give their loved one the support and care they need, no matter how hard it gets

Most people know someone who is facing a life-threatening disease or end of life decline. 'Leaning into Sharp Points' offers honest yet compassionate advice for facing those issues, right from the moment of diagnosis through the process of healing and decline to the grief and pain that comes after.

Carers are particularly vulnerable to feeling stressed, worried and worn down by the vast demands that often come with caregiving, be they physical, psychological or emotional. Mindfulness can be enormously beneficial to carers, whether professional or voluntary, as a means of developing greater inner stability, resilience and gaining more control over their thoughts, feelings and emotions. Mindfulness is an evidence-based approach that is proven to help protect against stress, anxiety, depression and burnout. Dr Cheryl Rezek provides an accessible introduction to mindfulness, and explains how simple mindfulness practices and psychological concepts can be used to manage the day-to-day demands of caring effectively, helping caregivers to gain a greater sense of control and maintain a more positive and balanced outlook. The book includes easy-to-use and enjoyable mindfulness exercises, short enough to fit into a busy day, as well as accompanying audio tracks to support and guide the reader through these exercises. An essential read for all those involved in caring for people with acute or long-term health and mental health conditions, disabilities and other support needs, including relatives and other informal carers, adoptive parents and foster carers, as well as professional medical, health and social care staff.

As our population ages, more and more of us find ourselves caring for parents and loved ones _ some 8.8 million people in the UK. An invisible army of carers holding families together.

Here, Kate Mosse tells her personal story of finding herself as a carer in middle age: first, helping her mother look after her beloved father through Parkinson's, then supporting her mother in widowhood, and finally as 'an extra pair of hands' for her 90-year-old mother-in-law.

This is a story about the gentle heroism of our carers, about small everyday acts of tenderness, and finding joy in times of crisis. It's about juggling priorities, mind-numbing repetition, about guilt and powerlessness, about grief, and the solace of nature when we're exhausted or at a loss. It is also about celebrating older people, about learning to live differently _ and think differently about ageing.

But most of all, it's a story about love..