When you dive into Who Takes Care of the Caretaker?, you'll find an answer to that very question. Author Tom Krause has concluded that caretakers need to help themselves as much as they help others. Their own mental health is just as important as the stability of those they care for. In this new guide, Krause discusses the many stresses and challenges caretakers face. If you're a caretaker, you'll find coping skills and other techniques to help you protect your own mental and emotional health. The first section of the book defines "caretakers" and outlines some of their basic personality types. Each type will respond to stress a little differently, so it's critical that you know your type. A-type and B-type personalities will have vastly different perspectives on the same situation, so corresponding coping techniques will differ. Krause also teaches you twenty-six unique ways to cope with stress, including physical exercises that give you room to breathe and emotional activities that help you think about your identity and how you handle certain problems. Each one is easy to implement and will provide additional insight into your work as a caretaker.

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.

Best-selling author Henny Backus cared for her husband, actor Jim Backus ("Mr. Magoo & "Gilligan's Island"), through his 10 year bout with Parkinson's disease. In CARE FOR THE CARETAKER, Henny shares her experience & guidance with compassion & wit. "Jim {Backus} belongs to a very exclusive club. Its members include people like Fred Allen, Jonathan Winters, Richard Pryor & Robin Williams. Jim's ability to dissect, then comment upon the human condition was unsurpassed." Perry Lafferty, from the Foreword. Sometimes it was almost impossible to get Jimmy out of the car. As he was trying to emerge & was halfway out his muscles would lock & he would start to fall out head first. It was a symptom but a guaranteed laugh getter. I'd have to try to gather him up quickly or we might hear a chorus of, "Oh, look! Here comes Mr. Magoo! Look kids, Mr. Magoo just fell out of his car head first! Isn't Mr. Magoo a funny fellow!" Sometimes being visible isn't much fun.--from the book. To order call Jasper Publications, Inc. at (800) 807-5188 or fax to (818) 340-0991, or write to us 22287 Mulholland Hwy., #337, Calabasas, CA 91302.

“. . . an engaging exploration of duty, guilt, and self-preservation. . . . A cleareyed consideration of difficult ethical and familial choices.” —KIRKUS REVIEWS Rachel likes to think of herself as a nice Jewish girl, dedicated to doing what’s honorable, just as her parents raised her to do. But when her husband, David, survives a plane crash and is left with severe brain damage, she faces a choice: will she dedicate her life to caring for a man she no longer loves, or walk away? Their marriage had been rocky at the time of the accident, and though she wants to do the right thing, Rachel doesn’t know how she is supposed to care for two kids in addition to a now irrational, incontinent, and seizure-prone grown man. And how will she manage to see her lover? But then again, what kind of selfish monster would refuse to care for her disabled husband, no matter how unhappy her marriage had been? Rachel wants to believe that she can dedicate her life to David’s needs, but knows in her heart it is impossible. Crash tackles a pervasive dilemma in our culture: the moral conflicts individuals face when caregiving for a disabled or cognitively impaired family member.

"Nurses play a vital role in improving the safety and quality of patient car -- not only in the hospital or ambulatory treatment facility, but also of community-based care and the care performed by family members. Nurses need know what proven techniques and interventions they can use to enhance patient outcomes. To address this need, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with additional funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has prepared this comprehensive, 1,400-page, handbook for nurses on patient safety and quality -- Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0043)." - online AHRQ blurb, http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/

Linda Abbit, founder of Tender Loving Eldercare and a veteran of the caregiving industry, shares her advice on taking care of an older parent or loved one and how to handle everything that goes along with this dramatic life change. Being a caregiver can be a difficult role. It requires patience, tenderness, selflessness, and hard work. Providing care for someone, whether it’s a parent, a loved one, or as a professional requires a high level of self-love and self-care. But while it may be a rewarding experience to care for a loved one, the emotional and physical stress of caregiving can lead to burnout and exhaustion—causing caregivers to put themselves and their own well-being in the background. How can you fulfill your role as a caregiver without losing yourself? Conscious Caregiver teaches you how to navigate caring for your loved one, whether it’s full-time in-house caregiving or hiring support from outside services. With information on how to talk to your loved ones about the situation, handle the emotional stress, stay financially secure, and take the time to care for yourself, this guide can help you care for your loved one and yourself at the same time.

"In a time when tens of millions of people provide care for family members, older adults, and people with special needs, we should all be experts at it. Instead, we often struggle with caring for others while taking care of ourselves. In Take Good Care, author Cynthia Orange brings together compelling testimonies from a wide range of caregivers, advice from leading experts in the field, and her own hard-won wisdom to capture the subtle differences between caretaking and caregiving. With a foreword by Susan Allen Toth, the critically acclaimed author of No Saints around Here: A Caregiver's Days, this book shows us how and why caring for each other can be a mutually rewarding experience. It's easy to become overinvolved in another person's life and needs when giving care. Feeling burdened with expectations and resentments in a codependent relationship hinders a sense of joy, purpose, and engagement. Relationships require empathy and boundaries; with them, a codependent caretaker can transform into an intentional, self-aware, and compassionate caregiver"--