Caring for the ill, disabled, very old, or very young requires a labor-intensive commitment that is not only essential to the well-being of individuals and to society as a whole, but also fraught with physical, financial, and psychological risks. And despite the critical nature of their job, caregivers rarely have avenues of support. The Challenges of Mental Health Caregiving addresses the complexities of the situation with uncommon depth and breadth. Suited to researchers, scientist-practitioners and clinicians, and students seeking a rounded understanding of the field, it examines how caregiving affects the lives, work, and mental health of family and professional caregivers. Chapters explore developmental, cultural, and spiritual contexts of care, addressing ongoing concerns about care in relation to larger health systems and emphasizing the need for care to be viewed as a community, rather than an individual or family experience. Further, the book's conclusion strongly advocates for more effective and efficient uses for available funds and resources while offering workable proposals for service improvements at the policy level. Key areas of coverage: The impact of caregiving on physical and mental health. Integrating mental health and primary care. The promotion of positive mental health outcomes in children and youth. Mid-life concerns and caregiver experience. Loss, grief, bereavement and the implications for mental health caregiving. Policy issues in caregiving and mental health. The Challenges of Mental Health Caregiving is a clear-sighted reference for researchers, clinicians and scientist-practitioners, and graduate students in the caregiving fields, including clinical psychology, social work, public health/medicine, geriatrics/gerontology, public policy, and educational policy.

Caring for people with disabilities often becomes an all-encompassing responsibility for one or more family members. To manage the multifaceted demands, caregivers must possess strong multitasking skills, including the ability to assist with daily life tasks; provide emotional support; help with financial affairs; mediate and advocate with health care providers. Maintaining balance within their own lives can become incredibly challenging for caregivers. More often than not, providing care for family members or loved ones occurs at the expense of the caregivers' well-being. And for caregivers who themselves have disabilities, it further complicates matters.

"Multiple Dimensions of Caregiving and Disability" addresses concerns that have been long familiar to the caregiver population and examines the current state of family care for individuals with disabilities. With a lifespan perspective, this concise reference reviews the literature on specific problems of caregivers and explores which care strategies are effective, promising, or lacking in available resources and support interventions. Contributors also explore the more fluid and subjective aspects of caregiving, such as feelings, spirituality, and family roles. Suggestions for future policy improvements, particularly within the public health sector, are discussed as well.

Topics covered include:

Family dynamics and caregiving for people with disabilities.
Parent caregiving of children with disabilities.
Race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and caregiving.
Educational, training, and support programs for caregivers.
Emerging technologies to aid caregivers.
Developing partnerships between caregivers and health care providers.

"Multiple Dimensions of Caregiving and Disability" is a must-have resource for researchers, scientist-practitioners, policy makers, and graduate students across such disciplines as clinical psychology, nursing, social work, public health, medicine, and social and education policy."

Effective, meaningful caregiving requires a well-coordinated and informed effort guided by various highly skilled specialists across several interrelated professions, including psychologists, social workers, and occupational therapists. Multidisciplinary Coordinated Caregiving addresses the information needs of these interrelated professionals, contributing to the direct care of individuals and serving as an essential resource for those who ultimately create collaborative approaches to contemporary caregiving plans. In addition, the volume provides a wealth of evidence-based research findings to facilitate ongoing dialogue about multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives on and interventions for the complex challenge of caregiving in America. Key areas of coverage include: * The status of professional caregiving in the United States. * Nursing perspectives on the state of family caregiving. * Psychological aspects of caregiving. * A human development, lifespan perspective on caregiving during late life. * Public health contributions to caregiving. Multidisciplinary Coordinated Caregiving offers a wealth of insights for those researchers, practitioners, and graduate students who seek to optimize the care of individuals across such fields as psychology, social work, public health, geriatrics and gerontology, and medicine as well as public and educational policy making.

Most scholars do not consider the long-term nature of caregiving, but rather focus on a specific developmental period (e.g., old age) or a specific disability (e.g., cancer). Yet the most important lessons about caregiving may occur at any age, regardless of disabilities or other limitations. Caregiving is a lifelong process. It begins in a mother's womb, continues throughout the lifespan, and ends after death. Caregiving Across the Lifespan emphasizes caregiving as a process that occurs throughout one's life. It discusses infant care, the developmental needs of children and adolescents, the many caregiving issues in adulthood and mid-life, and finally end-of-life care and bereavement. Key coverage includes: Examining caregiving issues across a developmental perspective. Caregiving from infancy through early childhood through end of life. Mid-life and multigenerational bonds and responsibilities. Caregiver identity in older adults. Family caregiving at the end of life. This must-have volume offers a wealth of insights and ideas for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students across the caregiving fields, including psychology, social work, public health, geriatrics and gerontology, and medicine as well as public and education policy makers.

Despite advances in detection and treatment, cancer remains a source of pain and distress to patients and of complex challenges to the loved ones caring for them. The trend toward shorter hospital stays in particular has increased the physical, psychological, and financial burden on caregivers, often leading to adverse effects on patients.

"Cancer Caregiving in the United States" illuminates these complex concerns with authoritative detail. This wide-ranging volume provides a comprehensive survey of cancer-related issues, including those affecting the care triad (patients-family members- professionals) and quality of care as well as the numerous physical, emotional, and financial challenges that caregivers may need to confront. Sources of caregiver difficulty at each stage of the disease, from diagnosis to end of life, are explored. Each chapter analyzes its topic in terms of practice, research, education, and policy, providing a wealth of literature reviews, assessment and care models, interventions, and recommendations for future study and practice.

Coverage includes:

Caregiving issues for cancer patients with long-term, short-term, and intermittent needs.Family caregivers as members of the treatment team.The impact of health disparities on caregivers.Cancer care policy and advocacy.End-of-life issues for cancer caregivers.Legal, financial, and ethical issues.

"Cancer Caregiving in the United States" is a core reference for researchers, professionals/scientist-practitioners, and graduate students in such caregiving fields as clinical psychology, social work, nursing, public health and medicine, social policy, and educational policy."

Assisting someone with Alzheimer s disease or another illness that causes dementia is incredibly demanding and stressful for the family. Like many disabling conditions, Alzheimer s disease leads to difficulty or inability to carry out common activities of daily life, and so family members take over a variety of tasks ranging from managing the person s finances to helping with intimate activities such as bathing and dressing.

Key coverage in "Caregiving for Alzheimer s Disease and Related Disorders" includes:

Early diagnosis and family dynamics
Emotional needs of caregivers
Developmentally appropriate long-term care for people with Alzheimer s
Family caregivers as members of the Alzheimer s treatment Team
Legal and ethical issues for caregivers
Faith and spirituality
The economics of caring for individuals with Alzheimer s disease
Cultural, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic issues of minority caregivers
Advances in Alzheimer s disease research

"Caregiving for Alzheimer s Disease and Related Disorders" offers a wealth of insights and ideas for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students across the caregiving fields, including psychology, social work, public health, geriatrics and gerontology, and medicine as well as public and education policy makers."

Caregivers living in rural areas face daunting obstacles. In addition to the isolation and anxiety that many caregivers across the country experience, rural caregivers must also cope with limited access to uncoordinated resources and severe shortages of trained professionals. Although many research, policy, and practice upgrades have been made in response to caregivers' general concerns, the specific problems facing the rural caregiver have been less frequently addressed.

Focusing on what is known as well as what is needed - and zeroing in on major subgroups within this diverse population - "Rural Caregiving in the United States "replaces misconceptions of the nonurban experience with real-life issues, findings, and solutions. For example, this pioneering volume:

Covers a broad range of issues unique to rural caregiving, including research, education/training, policy, and practice.Identifies specific needs related to education, training, and support for rural caregivers.Examines both the positive and negative effects of rural living on caregivers as well as patients.Discusses the importance of in-home care in lieu of scarcer forms of for-profit care (e.g., hospitals).Addresses not only discrepancies between rural and urban health care systems but racial and ethnic disparities within rural health care.Explores the advantages of using information technology to address rural health care limitations.

"Rural Caregiving in the United States" offers uniquely knowledgeable perspectives to researchers, practitioners, and graduate students in the caregiving fields, including psychology, social work, nursing, gerontology and geriatrics, medicine, public health, public policy, and educational policy."

Effective, meaningful caregiving requires a well-coordinated and informed effort guided by various highly skilled specialists across several interrelated professions, including psychologists, social workers, and occupational therapists. Multidisciplinary Coordinated Caregiving addresses the information needs of these interrelated professionals, contributing to the direct care of individuals and serving as an essential resource for those who ultimately create collaborative approaches to contemporary caregiving plans. In addition, the volume provides a wealth of evidence-based research findings to facilitate ongoing dialogue about multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives on and interventions for the complex challenge of caregiving in America. Key areas of coverage include: The status of professional caregiving in the United States. Nursing perspectives on the state of family caregiving. Psychological aspects of caregiving. A human development, lifespan perspective on caregiving during late life. Public health contributions to caregiving. Multidisciplinary Coordinated Caregiving offers a wealth of insights for those researchers, practitioners, and graduate students who seek to optimize the care of individuals across such fields as psychology, social work, public health, geriatrics and gerontology, and medicine as well as public and educational policy making.

Caring for the ill, disabled, very old, or very young requires a labor-intensive commitment that is not only essential to the well-being of individuals and to society as a whole, but also fraught with physical, financial, and psychological risks. And despite the critical nature of their job, caregivers rarely have avenues of support. The Challenges of Mental Health Caregiving addresses the complexities of the situation with uncommon depth and breadth. Suited to researchers, scientist-practitioners and clinicians, and students seeking a rounded understanding of the field, it examines how caregiving affects the lives, work, and mental health of family and professional caregivers. Chapters explore developmental, cultural, and spiritual contexts of care, addressing ongoing concerns about care in relation to larger health systems and emphasizing the need for care to be viewed as a community, rather than an individual or family experience. Further, the book's conclusion strongly advocates for more effective and efficient uses for available funds and resources while offering workable proposals for service improvements at the policy level. Key areas of coverage: The impact of caregiving on physical and mental health. Integrating mental health and primary care. The promotion of positive mental health outcomes in children and youth. Mid-life concerns and caregiver experience. Loss, grief, bereavement and the implications for mental health caregiving. Policy issues in caregiving and mental health. The Challenges of Mental Health Caregiving is a clear-sighted reference for researchers, clinicians and scientist-practitioners, and graduate students in the caregiving fields, including clinical psychology, social work, public health/medicine, geriatrics/gerontology, public policy, and educational policy.

Most scholars do not consider the long-term nature of caregiving, but rather focus on a specific developmental period (e.g., old age) or a specific disability (e.g., cancer). Yet the most important lessons about caregiving may occur at any age, regardless of disabilities or other limitations. Caregiving is a lifelong process. It begins in a mother's womb, continues throughout the lifespan, and ends after death. Caregiving Across the Lifespan emphasizes caregiving as a process that occurs throughout one's life. It discusses infant care, the developmental needs of children and adolescents, the many caregiving issues in adulthood and mid-life, and finally end-of-life care and bereavement. Key coverage includes: Examining caregiving issues across a developmental perspective. Caregiving from infancy through early childhood through end of life. Mid-life and multigenerational bonds and responsibilities. Caregiver identity in older adults. Family caregiving at the end of life. This must-have volume offers a wealth of insights and ideas for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students across the caregiving fields, including psychology, social work, public health, geriatrics and gerontology, and medicine as well as public and education policy makers.

Assisting someone with Alzheimer's disease or another illness that causes dementia is incredibly demanding and stressful for the family. Like many disabling conditions, Alzheimer's disease leads to difficulty or inability to carry out common activities of daily life, and so family members take over a variety of tasks ranging from managing the person's finances to helping with intimate activities such as bathing and dressing. Key coverage in Caregiving for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders includes: Early diagnosis and family dynamics Emotional needs of caregivers Developmentally appropriate long-term care for people with Alzheimer's Family caregivers as members of the Alzheimer's treatment Team Legal and ethical issues for caregivers Faith and spirituality The economics of caring for individuals with Alzheimer's disease Cultural, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic issues of minority caregivers Advances in Alzheimer's disease research Caregiving for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders offers a wealth of insights and ideas for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students across the caregiving fields, including psychology, social work, public health, geriatrics and gerontology, and medicine as well as public and education policy makers.

Caring for people with disabilities often becomes an all-encompassing responsibility for one or more family members. To manage the multifaceted demands, caregivers must possess strong multitasking skills, including the ability to assist with daily life tasks; provide emotional support; help with financial affairs; mediate and advocate with health care providers. Maintaining balance within their own lives can become incredibly challenging for caregivers. More often than not, providing care for family members or loved ones occurs at the expense of the caregivers' well-being. And for caregivers who themselves have disabilities, it further complicates matters. Multiple Dimensions of Caregiving and Disability addresses concerns that have been long familiar to the caregiver population and examines the current state of family care for individuals with disabilities. With a lifespan perspective, this concise reference reviews the literature on specific problems of caregivers and explores which care strategies are effective, promising, or lacking in available resources and support interventions. Contributors also explore the more fluid and subjective aspects of caregiving, such as feelings, spirituality, and family roles. Suggestions for future policy improvements, particularly within the public health sector, are discussed as well. Topics covered include: * Family dynamics and caregiving for people with disabilities. * Parent caregiving of children with disabilities. * Race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and caregiving. * Educational, training, and support programs for caregivers. * Emerging technologies to aid caregivers. * Developing partnerships between caregivers and health care providers. Multiple Dimensions of Caregiving and Disability is a must-have resource for researchers, scientist-practitioners, policy makers, and graduate students across such disciplines as clinical psychology, nursing, social work, public health, medicine, and social and education policy.

Despite advances in detection and treatment, cancer remains a source of pain and distress to patients and of complex challenges to the loved ones caring for them. The trend toward shorter hospital stays in particular has increased the physical, psychological, and financial burden on caregivers, often leading to adverse effects on patients.

"Cancer Caregiving in the United States" illuminates these complex concerns with authoritative detail. This wide-ranging volume provides a comprehensive survey of cancer-related issues, including those affecting the care triad (patients-family members- professionals) and quality of care as well as the numerous physical, emotional, and financial challenges that caregivers may need to confront. Sources of caregiver difficulty at each stage of the disease, from diagnosis to end of life, are explored. Each chapter analyzes its topic in terms of practice, research, education, and policy, providing a wealth of literature reviews, assessment and care models, interventions, and recommendations for future study and practice.

Coverage includes:

Caregiving issues for cancer patients with long-term, short-term, and intermittent needs.Family caregivers as members of the treatment team.The impact of health disparities on caregivers.Cancer care policy and advocacy.End-of-life issues for cancer caregivers.Legal, financial, and ethical issues.

"Cancer Caregiving in the United States" is a core reference for researchers, professionals/scientist-practitioners, and graduate students in such caregiving fields as clinical psychology, social work, nursing, public health and medicine, social policy, and educational policy."

Caregivers living in rural areas face daunting obstacles. In addition to the isolation and anxiety that many caregivers across the country experience, rural caregivers must also cope with limited access to uncoordinated resources and severe shortages of trained professionals. Although many research, policy, and practice upgrades have been made in response to caregivers' general concerns, the specific problems facing the rural caregiver have been less frequently addressed. Focusing on what is known as well as what is needed - and zeroing in on major subgroups within this diverse population - Rural Caregiving in the United States replaces misconceptions of the nonurban experience with real-life issues, findings, and solutions. For example, this pioneering volume: Covers a broad range of issues unique to rural caregiving, including research, education/training, policy, and practice. Identifies specific needs related to education, training, and support for rural caregivers. Examines both the positive and negative effects of rural living on caregivers as well as patients. Discusses the importance of in-home care in lieu of scarcer forms of for-profit care (e.g., hospitals). Addresses not only discrepancies between rural and urban health care systems but racial and ethnic disparities within rural health care. Explores the advantages of using information technology to address rural health care limitations. Rural Caregiving in the United States offers uniquely knowledgeable perspectives to researchers, practitioners, and graduate students in the caregiving fields, including psychology, social work, nursing, gerontology and geriatrics, medicine, public health, public policy, and educational policy.