Caring for a loved one at home. What’s really involved? And what does it mean for your family and future? Tens of millions of Americans have had these questions and more as they prepare for this unsettling yet necessary task. The Family Caregiver’s Guide fills in the gaps, connecting the dots between research and real life. Drawing on the author’s extensive caregiving experience, this book provides strategies to care for your loved one, inside and out, as well as for yourself—including how to use your natural skills in your new role, and which skills you may need to add. You’ll discover how to set up your home for caregiving, including a safety checklist, equipment suggestions, and words you should know. And for those days that are more than a handful, you’ll find positive affirmations, a section on facing and accepting illness, and smart steps at the end of each chapter, in case you need guidance in a hurry. Caregiving has both rewards and challenges. But through it all, you’ll discover what’s most important—that caregiving is love in action.

If you are facing the unique challenges of caring for a parent with dementia, you are not alone. What do you do when your loved one so plainly needs assistance, but is confused, angry, or resistant to your help? Where can you find the vital information you need, when you need it? Journalist Thomas Harrison and leading geriatric psychiatrist Brent Forester show that you don’t have to be a medical expert to be a good care provider in this authoritative guide. They explain the basics of dementia and offer effective strategies for coping with the medical, emotional, and financial toll. With the right skills, you can navigate changing family roles, communicate better with your parent, keep him or her safe, and manage difficult behaviors. Learn how to "care smarter, not harder"--and help your loved one maintain the best possible quality of life. Winner (Second Place)--American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award, Consumer Health Category Winner (Third Place)--Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award, Family & Relationships Category

People today are not only living longer, they are also living sicker-- making aging and caring for elderly loved ones more complicated than ever before. Brent provides a comprehensive, straightforward handbook to help family caregivers with sibling and parent-child communication, end-of-life decision making, and guidance for how to help a loved one medically, financially, and emotionally.

Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.

When a child has a health problem, parents want answers. But when a child has cerebral palsy, the answers don't come quickly. A diagnosis of this complex group of chronic conditions affecting movement and coordination is difficult to make and is typically delayed until the child is eighteen months old. Although the condition may be mild or severe, even general predictions about long-term prognosis seldom come before the child's second birthday. Written by a team of experts associated with the Cerebral Palsy Program at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, this authoritative resource provides parents and families with vital information that can help them cope with uncertainty. Thoroughly updated and revised to incorporate the latest medical advances, the second edition is a comprehensive guide to cerebral palsy. The book is organized into three parts. In the first, the authors describe specific patterns of involvement (hemiplegia, diplegia, quadriplegia), explain the medical and psychosocial implications of these conditions, and tell parents how to be effective advocates for their child. In the second part, the authors provide a wealth of practical advice about caregiving from nutrition to mobility. Part three features an extensive alphabetically arranged encyclopedia that defines and describes medical terms and diagnoses, medical and surgical procedures, and orthopedic and other assistive devices. Also included are lists of resources and recommended reading.

Drawing on his more than twenty years as a practicing physical therapist, author Kevin Lockette has compiled an unparalleled resource for home caregivers: A Caregiver's Complete Guide for Safe Mobility and Independence in the Home delivers exactly what its title states. Lockette's numerous strategies and tips focus on how to offer safe caregiving, especially as it relates to the care-receiver's mobility and independence. But he also gives attention to the safety of the caregiver, because, as he wisely notes, "If a caregiver is injured, it frequently results in the care-receiver losing the ability to remain in a community setting." This book has easily referenced chapters on such topics as body mechanics (including principles of safe lifting), guidelines for transfers (including considerations for body type and various disabilities), adaptive and assistive devices for the care-receiver, fall prevention and fall-proofing the home, and information on types of wheelchairs. He also includes detailed instructions (with illustrations) on appropriate exercises for the minimally to moderately impaired. A helpful glossary is provided, as are several appendices, which offer important information on various caregiver associations, caregiver-specific Web sites, and numerous connected resources [cover].

Family members, and sometimes close friends, are often called upon to act as caregivers to ill or aged people they care about or for whom they are responsible. Although there are many rewarding outcomes of the time spent between the courageous and dedicated caregiver and the care-receiver*, the caregivers are usually unprepared, untrained and unsupported. The caregivers are also often isolated. These factors can put a huge amount of stress on non-professional or family caregivers. Attending a caregiver support group focusing on specific issues is of great benefit for caregivers. Such groups can include those facilitated by professionals such as social workers, counselors and group facilitators, and those facilitated by lay persons, often themselves caregivers. The intention of Caregiver Support is to provide content for support group facilitators and caregivers that touches on crucial topics.