Synopses & Reviews
"By my old professors side, I learned the precious value of caregiving. I am grateful that Beth McLeod has put together a fine source to help bring out the helping heart in all of us." Mitch Albom author of Tuesdays with Morrie Sooner or later it will touch us all: A family member or loved one becomes ill or disabled, and we step in to help. This is caregiving, and in this powerful, unique book, prizewinning writer and advocate Beth Witrogen McLeod leads us through the caregiving journey with unflinching authority and compassion. Whether it involves caring for an aging parent, an ill spouse or partner, or a disabled child, caregiving takes us into a new reality quite unlike that of our usual workaday life. Too often, we dont know where to find help or what questions to ask, and the health care system seems to get more complex every day. An indispensable guide for anyone who is or has been a caregiver or who anticipates becoming one, Caregiving includes advice from leaders in the fields of aging, medicine, finance, and spirituality. It explores medical and financial problems as well as such issues as depression, stress, housing, home care, and end-of-life concerns. The author also includes dozens of helpful resources at the back of the book. Framed by the authors personal odyssey as a caregiver, Caregiving is richly informed by the inspiring and poignant tales of other caregivers. Caregiving shows that while at first we experience the dark night of the soul, through service to others we can discover our true nature and develop lovingkindness and compassion; through caregiving we can see the renewal of both self and community. Personal transformation has been witnessed in sacred traditions throughout human history, and in Caregiving Beth McLeod draws on the wisdom of Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and shamanism, and on the writings of current and past spiritual figures, to illuminate the way. A rare blend of powerful storytelling and practical information, Caregiving is a revelation.
Synopsis
Helping your family and loved ones when they need you most
""""Caregiving"" has a big heart-on a much-needed topic. A rare book of spiritual and practical wisdom.""
--Sue Bender, author of ""Plain and Simple and Everyday Sacred""
""A poignant, wise, and in-the-trenches view of caregiving that is both practical and spiritual, especially of value to midlife adults.""
--Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., author of ""Goddesses in Everywoman"" and ""Close to the Bone""
""Lovely. . . . Beth McLeod's experience and wisdom shine through as she shares her heartfelt journey of loss, surrender, hope, and healing.""
--David Simon, M.D. medical director, the Chopra Center for Well Being, author of ""Vital Energy"" and ""Return to Wholeness""
Sooner or later it will touch us all: A family member or loved one becomes ill or disabled, and we step in to help. This is caregiving, and in this powerful, unique book, prizewinning writer and advocate Beth Witrogen McLeod leads us through the caregiving journey with unflinching authority and compassion. Framed by the author's personal odyssey as a caregiver and richly informed by the inspiring and poignant tales of others, ""Caregiving"" explores medical and financial problems, all aspects of spirituality, and such issues as depression, stress, housing, home care, and end-of-life concerns. A rare blend of powerful storytelling and practical information, ""Caregiving"" is a revelation.
About the Author
BETH WITROGEN MCLEOD has written for Family Circle, SELF, Good Housekeeping, and Third Age Media, and teaches family caregiving through the University of California. For her writing and advocacy, McLeod has received the Society for Professional Journalists Public Service Award, the National Hospice Organization's President's Award, the Media Award for Outstanding Public Service from the Family Caregiver Alliance, and other honors. She lectures widely and has appeared on the Today show.
Table of Contents
SETTING OUT ON THE PATH OF CAREGIVING.
What Family Caregiving Is: I Am a Caregiver.
Women and Caregiving: The Spirit of Christmas Present.
The Medical/Financial Maze: A Sacred Sorrow.
Caring for Aging Parents: Into the Abyss.
Spousal Caregiving: Do Not Resuscitate.
EMOTIONAL WILDERNESS.
The Nature of Loss.
The Stresses of Caregiving: Blessings.
Caregivers and Depression.
Hitting Bottom: To the Stars through Difficulty.
BRIDGES TO THE FUTURE.
Support Strategies and Everyday Miracles.
Caregivers, Religion, and Spirituality.
End-of-Life Concerns.
Caregiving as a Rites of Passage: Fancy Nightmares.
RECLAIMING LIFE.
Awakening the Heart: Thank You for Everything.
The Urge to Serve: Out Love Will Never End.
Caregiving and Community.
Appendix.
Reference Notes.
Index.