Customer Reviews

Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend (Conquering the Confusions of Chronic Illness)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am re-ordering, yet again, more copies of Beyond Casseroles 505 Ways to Help Someone with Chronic Illness/Pain. I love these little books and find they are just perfect to give along with a card to someone who deals with chronic pain and illness or to someone who is a friend or relative of someone especially caregivers. I usually tell the person with the chronic illness to tick off the ones that they would find most useful and leave it around when visitors come to call.
I try to keep several on hand to give away as needed. I've had lots of positive feedback. As someone recently told me, "It's just common sense, but sometimes it's hard to think of these ideas without a little nudging reminder."


L. J. Dalgliesh

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

to help a friend with a chronic, painful illness. So many times people say "let me know if you need anything" and they mean well, and while flowers or a card is nice, this book includes very useful ideas that really do make a difference in the life of a chronically ill person.
Suggestions such as "changing her sheets" or "mop the kitchen floor", while small things, really add to the comfort of someone suffering with arthritis or other painful illnesses. This book even includes ideas of what not to say to someone who is ill. All in all, a gem of a book. Wish I had found it sooner.

As the author of "Don't You Need Some Rest? 52 Sabbath Reflections for Stressful Living", I was immediately drawn to Lisa Copen's book. Her practical suggestions for helping a chronically ill friend can be implemented immediately. She presents and easy guide for what to do and not do; as well as what to say and not to say. I'm glad she and her "Rest Ministries" have moved me beyond casseroles.

It's pretty rare that I give a book 5 stars but this deserves each one. It's a small book that easily fits into a small purse but it's packed with a lot of very practical advice. Well thought out. I have ovarian cancer and have been in non-stop chemotherapy for almost 5 years. A miracle withstanding, I have cancer that's considered chronic. I have hair so it's not apparent and even amongst my close friends. because I have hair, they forget I am dealing with a disease and treatment that causes severe fatigue, periodic sickness and sometimes, cognitive slowness. And as the cancer continues, most all of the people who were so gung-ho to help me early on have long fallen by the wayside - and that includes my church.

There are suggestions that I would personally consider very patronizing, but overall, the suggestions are good. Two particular tidbits in the book that I can appeciate is 'not making a person a project' and 'many small things make a friend'. I have a woman who clearly has made it her mission to preach to me via religious cards (and I am already a faithful Christian) and it irks me to no end. Also, people think unless they have time for some grand gesture they can't do anything - so no one does anything for me. Some of the suggestions in this book are perfect examples of what may seem like small things that really go a long way to just let someone know you're thinking about them.

I recommend, as others have, that every church and every doctor's office keep a copy of this little but powerful book. I do have a suggestion to the author: it would have been nice to have had blank 'note' pages in the back of the book so people can make notes (possibly even passing them along to the author for later editions) of things not mentioned in the book that by experience, made an impact on their chronically ill friend or family member.

Wondering how to perk up a hurting friend or family member? Beyond Casseroles has great ideas to make anyone smile. Some suggestions are simple and some have you combing flea markets and garage sales. This book has something for anyone who wants to bring cheer into someone elses life, even their own.Choices: Managing Chronic Pain

What a sweet little book! I ordered two of them so I could share the wonderful and inspiring messages written inside. There are a lot of great ideas to help out a chronically ill person or just about anyone who feels down in the dumps. It's the simple things in life that really count!