The personal story of a baby boomer daughter who finds herself caring for her difficult, ailing mother. Through vignettes and anecdotes, the author shares valuable practical tips for those facing similar challenges.

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.

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.

From the beginning, our instincts and reflexes are tuned to survival. Over a lifetime, we learn and hone those skills, but there comes a point when we, of necessity, surrender to the search of the ultimate goal: spiritual peace. This search is best done with family support and friends, as they bring the message of grace and the mercy of God. But all too often, loneliness blocks this message, and spiritual emptiness and suffering remain as companions. Mother Teresa wrote, Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty. The authors of this short book believe this to be true. We wish to relieve this distress and need your help. Loneliness does occur in many places, even the crowded streets of the cities of the world. In this book, we are focused on spiritual poverty in long-term care facilities, where we believe the problem exists in significant numbers, despite the best efforts of those charged with recreation and socialization. In addition, we believe loneliness travels with a paucity of spiritual attention, which must mean unrest. The combination of being alone and spiritually weak or disconnected, when peace is the goal for those in their last days, is the challenge. Part of the problem is our lack of awareness of these people and their situation, which brings us to our mission: to prod, beg, and stimulate people of faith to become involved in passing their faith and peace to those in need.

Filled with practical advice and innovative approaches to problem-solving, this essential guidebook presents the powerful words of people who have had to care for a parent or spouse with dementia. The interviewees talk about the challenges faced during every step in the caregiving process, from recognizing early symptoms of dementia to dealing with its advanced stages.

Focuses on the various aspects of chronic illness that influence both patients and their families. Topics include the sociological, psychological, ethical, organizational, and financial factors, as well as individual and system outcomes.

Wolf, Margaret A. Wylde, Jack York, Sheryl Zimmerman