A practical handbook for women confronting the problems of caring for an aging parent explains how to deal with the changing parent/child roles, foster aging parents' independence, get help from other family members, find time for oneself, and balance work, family, and caregiving responsibilities. Original.

Caring for a parent whose health is in decline turns the world upside down. The emotional fallout can be devastating, but it doesn't have to be that way. Empathic guidance from an expert who's been there can help. Through an account of two sisters and their ailing mother--interwoven with no-nonsense advice--The Emotional Survival Guide for Caregivers helps family members navigate tough decisions and make the most of their time together as they care for an aging parent. The author urges readers to be honest about the level of commitment they're able to make and emphasizes the need for clear communication within the family. While acknowledging their guilt, stress, and fatigue, he helps caregivers reaffirm emotional connections worn thin by the routine of daily care. This compassionate book will help families everywhere avoid burnout and preserve bonds during one of life's most difficult passages.

Heller thought she'd found her dream man-- until he turned out to be a "frequent flier," the term doctors and nurses use to refer to patients who land in the E.R. more often than the average person goes to Starbucks. Here, Jane shares her experiences of looking after her chronically ill husband and offers practical guidance for handling it all without drowning. She provides advice on staying healthy while caring for a loved one and learning to communicate with medical staff.

A practical, encouraging guide to caring for someone with dementia As a caregiver, you face a multitude of challenging situations and plenty of conflicting information concerning diagnoses, treatments, coping with everyday activities, and dementia itself. This easy-to-read book will give you the necessary resources to make practical and informed decisions regarding the best possible care for you and your loved one. Written by a licensed clinical social worker with twenty-five years of experience working with families coping with dementia, Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias: The Caregiver's Complete Survival Guide offers useful and vital information on: Working effectively with health care providers to get the best treatment for your loved one Handling difficult behaviors that change over time Making the home safer using simple, low-cost tools and techniques Evaluating and choosing respite care and long-term care options, including adult day and home care services Finding legal and financial assistance Improving the quality of life for you and your family Drawing from her own clinical and personal experience, Nataly Rubinstein guides you with humor and compassion through your caregiving journey. From tips on preparing for the first visit to the neurologist to advice on coping with changes in daily life, this comprehensive book provides detailed and accessible information for all those caring for someone with memory loss. Book jacket.

You, the caregiver, finds yourself in a situation that threatens to overwhelm you with a welter of conflicting emotions and to undermine your ability to come. You feel that way sometimes.

A dementia diagnosis can frighten and devastate all who are affected. When a husband is diagnosed with dementia, his wife is at risk of becoming the "hidden patient." Sometimes the responsibilities of caring for a husband with dementia causes stress leading to caregiver burnout. Caregiving wives may feel trapped, obligated or compelled to go it alone at the expense of their own well-being. Others find many rewards in caring and give of themselves to a fault - "until death do us part." Asking for help can be difficult for caregivers, for many reasons. Gaining knowledge about dementia and its emotional impacts can provide comfort and improve confidence. Practical tips and solutions can offer hope in challenging situations. This survival guide and workbook is a vital companion for caregivers. You will refer to "Caring for a Husband with Dementia" often on your caregiving journey.

A month after proposing marriage, Diana Denholm''s husband was diagnosed with colon cancer and later congestive heart failure. Following a heart transplant several of her husband''s body systems began failing forcing Diana to become his primary caregiver for more than a decade. The Caregiving Wife''s Handbook is a step-by-step communication guide to help women maintain emotional, physical and financial health in their unique role as caregivers to their dying husbands. Women are suffering physical, emotional and financial burnout as the United States'' leading caregivers. Of the 65 million caregivers in the U.S., 66% are women, and these numbers will only increase as the population ages. And while statistics and resources abound for caregivers in general, very little exists for women in their unique role as caregivers to their dying husbands. Traditionally, caring for a dying husband has been seen as a "wifely duty." Most wives don''t label themselves, and aren''t labeled by others, as caregivers. But advances in medical technology are making this distinction an imperitive since women are under more stress as caregivers than at any other time in history. Although there are generic similarities in caretaking, caregiving for a dying husband is distinctly different, and the longer the dying process, the more complex the problems. When a husband is in the process of dying for many months or years the experience is quite different than a husband''s sudden death. On top of dealing with the tragedy, the wife must figure out how to make life work. Sometimes a woman is married to the love of her life and sometimes not. Some marriages strengthen, while others disintegrate. Some women are in abusive relationships and find the abuse continues, and even increases, during these times, while others find, much to their surprise, that they become the abusers. Still some will start or increase substance abuse and others will have affairs to get by. The Caregiving Wife''s Handbook aims to help women get through their husbands'' illness and death with compassion, emotionally whole and without regret by helping them communicate clearly--and in steps--about issues affecting this unique caregiving relationship. Without specific direction, many women find themselves over the top with stress as their lives change radically. As a board certified medical psychotherapist and primary caregiver, Diana Denholm recognized the need for a step-by-step process to help women communicate with their husbands to avoid irreparable damage and regret. In The Caregiving Wife''s Handbook, you will learn: To ask questions you may not realize you need to ask The issues that bother you and a method for categorizing them What you should and shouldn''t discuss with your husband How to make and prepare for a date to talk about difficult topics What to do if your husband won''t talk To create "understandings" with your husband How to deal with his family You will also learn survival tips from the case histories of Joyce, Fran, Tina, Jean, Susan, and Mary. Their experiences will help you: Choose roles you should take and those you should avoid Understand what is "normal" in what you''re experiencing and feeling Take care of yourself so you can survive and even have fun Implement do''s and avoid don''ts to make your life simpler Balance with greater ease Other topics addressed are: Sex life/intimacy Current and future finances Fatigue Sleep Household duties Job responsibilities Irresponsible behaviors Unrealistic expectations... The challenges of this time are endless and extreme and the reality often isn''t the beautiful and revered journey often portrayed. When a husband is dying of a long-term illness, the gift of time can allow us to prepare and say all the loving things we need to say, but it can also provide a lot of time for severe stressors and problems to develop. These problems and stressors can be debilitating for the caregiver and provide too many opportunities to say and do things we might regret. The Caregiving Wife''s Handbook will give you the tools and support needed to get through your husbands'' illness and death with compassion, emotionally whole and without regret. Let The Caregiving Wife''s Handbook support you amidst the grief--all the way through the Final Chapter.