LITMIR.BIZ

      Table of Contents

       Foreword

       Introduction

       Part One: How to Ease Care through Activity Engagement

Chapter One

The Unexpected Family Caregiver

Chapter Two

Three Ways to Avoid Caregiver Burnout

       Chapter Three

       Dementia Care

       Chapter Four

       Approaches to Address Behaviors

       Chapter Five

       Activities to Ease Care Tasks

       Part Two: Release Guilt and Explore Care Options

       Chapter Six

       Managing Difficult Aspects of Care

       Chapter Seven

       How to Have a Conversation about Care

       Chapter Eight

       Available Senior Living Options

       Chapter Nine

       What to Look for in a Nursing Home

       Chapter Ten

       Once a Caregiver, Always a Caregiver

       Thank You

       Acknowledgments

       References

       About the Author

Foreword

      By Carol Bradley Bursack, Minding Our Elders

      Every caregiver has a unique story to tell, most often one of jumbled emotions that cycle through times of joy, despair, grief, and gratitude. My decades-long journey was a juggling act that was, while also unique to my circumstances, no different when it came to emotions.

      For me, caregiving began with my neighbor, Joe, who had lived with Meniere’s disease since his thirties and, as a result, was completely deaf. When Joe was in his eighties, his wife died. That left him alone except for some older friends from his working years and his only adult child, who lived across the country. We hadn’t socialized before, other than giving a wave and saying “hi,” because Joe seemed busy with his life and I had a young family. But now? How could a neighbor not offer to help?

      Back then, my children were young. Over time, we grew to love Joe, but, as I crossed our yards that first day to see if I could do anything to comfort this seemingly vulnerable older man, I had no way of knowing that I was entering into an unspoken contract to be Joe’s caregiver for the next five years. Still, I don’t see that I could have done things differently, and I wouldn’t have wanted to miss those years, even if I’d had the chance to do it over.

      During my “Joe years,” as I call them, my aunt and uncle, who had no children, moved from the Washington, DC, area to be near my family. They even moved into the same apartment complex as my parents. We were all close, and my siblings and I were my aunt and uncle’s substitute kids, so this was the natural progression of life.

      For a few years, life was good for all of my family elders.

Скачать книгу