Are YOU caring for a parent, spouse or sick relative? You‘re a caregiver. Learn to care for another, and care for yourself! Choose one or more of the following books to help.
READERS’ CORNER
General Caregiving
Beresford, Larry. The Hospice Handbook. Little, Brown and Co., 1993,
$12.95, 165 pages.
How to find the right hospice, how to determine
eligibility, the right questions to ask, how to get the best care for your money.
Caposella, Cappy, and Warnock, Sheila. Share the Care. Fireside Books/Simon
& Schuster, 1995, $13, 287 pages.
Practical and inspirational guide to setting up
support groups.
Carter, Rosalynn. Helping Yourself Help Others: A Book for Caregivers.
Random House, 1994, $20, 278 pages.
Many personal stories explain emotions, medical
and family issues. Resource listings and bibliography.
Heath, Angela. Long Distance Caregiving. American Source Books, 1991,
$9.95, 123 pages.
Defines caregiving issues, tips for traveling, finding
help in the aging network, legal and financial paperwork, care plans, relocation.
Holstege, Henry, and Riekse, Robert. Complete Guide to Caring For Aging Loved Ones. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2002. $29.99. 558 pages. A lifeline for those navigating the practical emotional and spiritual aspects of caregiving.
Karr, Katherine L. Taking Time for Me: How Caregivers Can Effectively Deal
With Stress. Prometheus Books, 1992, $17.95, 179 pages.
Personal accounts demonstrate how to renew strength
without jeopardizing care.
Lustbader, Wendy. Counting on Kindness: The Dilemmas of Dependency.
The Free Press, 1994, $15.95, 206 pages.
True stories and quotations explore issues of power
and dependency, handling regret, reviving self-esteem.
McFarlane, Rodger, and Bashe, Philip. The Complete Bedside Companion.
Simon & Schuster, 1998, $27, 544 pages.
Chapters explain the health care team, dealing with
doctors, essential nursing skills, caring for the caregiver.
McLeod, Beth Witrogen. Caregiving: The Spiritual Journey of Love, Loss,
and Renewal. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1999, $22.95, 259 pages.
Beth McLeod's narration of her own experience of
caring for her parents and how that led her to writing this book will touch
your heart.
Visiting Nurse Associations of America, Caregiver's Handbook: A Complete Guide to Home Health Care. DK Publishing, 1998, $14.95, 192 pages. Chapters include "Being a Caregiver," "Communication," "Adapting the Home," "Home Hygiene," "Healthy Eating & Drinking," "Bed Comfort."
Caring for Aging Parents and Other Elderly Relatives
Adams, Tom, and Armstrong, Kathryn. When Parents Age: What Children Can
Do. Berkeley Publishing Group, 1993, $7.95, 192 pages.
Personal stories, checklists, guides on home care,
health care, enriching the final years.
Astor, Brent. Baby Boomer's Guide to Caring for Aging Parents. Macmillan/
Spectrum, 1998, $15.95, 282 pages.
How to talk to parents about sensitive matters,
long-term caregiving, facing the inevitable.
Berman, Claire. Caring for Yourself While Caring for Your Aging Parents.
Henry Holt and Company Inc., 1996, $22.50, 254 pages.
Looks at different situations such as long distance,
only child, finances; list of resources.
Cassidy, Thomas M. Elder Care: What to Look for, What to Look Out for!
New Horizon Press, 1997, $13.95, 212 pages.
Legal perspective on caregiving, including home
care, assisted living, nursing homes, hospice.
Cohen, Donna, and Eisdorfer, Carl. Caring for Your Aging Parents: A Planning
and Action Guide. Tarcher/Putnam, 1995, $10.95, 272 pages.
Prioritizing problems, overcoming denial, managing
emotions, taking control in a crisis, letting go and moving on; checklists,
resources.
Loverde, Joy. The Complete Elder Care Planner: Where to Start, Questions
to Ask and How to Find Help. Hyperion, 1997, $14.95, 274 pages.
Practical guide on common issues, with checklists
and action planning guides.
Lustbader, Wendy, and Hooyman, Nancy R. Taking Care of Aging Family Members:
A Practical Guide. Simon & Schuster, 1994, $24.95, 353 pages.
Psychological, practical, social issues; ready-to-use
charts and checklists.
Morris, Virginia. How to Care for Aging Parents. Workman Publishing,
New York, 1996, $15.95, 460 pages.
Talking to your parents, new roles, caring for the
caregiver, getting help, nursing homes, sharing care, dementia, and resources.
Schomp, Virginia. The Aging Parents Handbook. HarperPaperbacks, 1997,
$12, 427 pages.
Chapters include first steps, staying at home, housing,
financial and legal matters, healthy aging, death, caring for caregivers, and
resources.
Caring for Spouses or Loved Ones With Specific Illnesses
Atwood, Glenna W. Living Well With Parkinson's. John Wiley & Sons,
1991, $15.95, 208 pages.
Personal prescriptions for living well with this
disease, special resources and guidance.
Carroll, David. Living Well With MS. HarperCollins, 1993, $10.40, 259
pages.
Comprehensive book that gives comfort and practical
information for the patient, family, and caregivers.
Carter, Rosalynn. Helping Someone With Mental Illness: A Compassionate
Guide for Family, Friends, and Caregivers. Times Books, 1998, $24, 348 pages.
Latest treatments and research, being an effective
caregiver and advocate.
Mace, Nancy, and Rabins, Peter. The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring
for Persons with AD and Related Dementing Illnesses, and Memory Loss in Later
Life. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991, $12.95, 329 pages.
The "Bible" on caring for a loved one
with Alzheimer's.
Miller, Freeman, and Bachrach, Steven J. Cerebral Palsy: A Complete Guide
for Caregiving. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995, $35.95, 465 pages.
Comprehensive guide for parents, caregivers, adolescents
and adults with CP.
Shirk, Evelyn. After the Stroke: Coping With America's Third Leading Cause
of Death. Prometheus Books, 1991, $16.95, 114 pages.
Report on the 15 years between husband's first stroke
to the end; emphasis on caregiving.
Strong, Maggie. Mainstay: For the Well Spouse of the Chronically Ill.
Bradford Books, 1997, $15, 394 pages.
Updated; how to handle getting the news, changed
dependencies, acts of rescue, family conflicts.
Warner, Mark. The Complete Guide to Alzheimer's-Proofing Your Home.
Purdue University Press, 1998, $19.95, 368 pages.
Home guide, reference, and catalog.
Caring for Children With Special Needs
Batshaw, Mark L., ed. Children with Disabilities. Paul H. Brookes, 1997,
$53, 960 pages.
Universal resource book dealing with medical and
societal issues; charts, case studies, graphs, glossary.
Bowman, Patricia, and others. From the Heart: On Being the Mother of a Child
with Special Needs. Woodbine House, 1995, $14.95, 149 pages.
Narratives on autism, multiple disabilities, Tourette
syndrome, Attention-Deficit Disorder.
Exceptional Parent Magazine. Published 12 times a year/$32. P.O. Box
3000, Dept. EP, Denville, NJ 07834-9919; 1-800-EPARENT. Web site: http://www.eparent.com/.
Annual resource guide, products.
Miller, Nancy. Nobody's Perfect: Living and Growing With Children Who Have
Special Needs. Paul H. Brookes, 1994, $21, 307 pages.
Tools for handling illness and crisis, loss, unexpected
changes.
Naseef, Robert. Special Children, Challenged Parents. Carol Publishing
Group, 1997, $21.95.
Father's account of severely disabled child; handbook
and guide for parents on how to understand emotional turmoil, challenges.
Sullivan, Tom. Special Parent, Special Child: Parents of Children With
Disabilities Share Their Trials, Triumphs, and Hard-Won Wisdom. Putnam, 1996,
$13.95.
Inspiring and informational guide.
*National Family Caregivers Association www.nfcacares.org.
This Fact Sheet is provided as a public service of the Caregiver Resource Network. The Caregiver Resource Network is a collaboration of Kent County organizations dedicated to providing for the needs and welfare of family and professional caregivers within the community. Funded by the Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan with Older American’s Act Title IIIE, Family Caregiver Support Funds. Revised 2/13/03
www.CaregiverResource.net or call 616-456-5664