Caregiving: The Spiritual Journey of Love, Loss, and Renewal (Hardcover)

by Beth Witrogen McLeod (Author) "For some it comes like a bump in the night; for others, it is a realization of having already been swept away..." (more)
Key Phrases: fruitful darkness, care receiver, New York, Social Security, Ram Dass (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"By my old professor's 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 don't 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 author's 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.

"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 Return to Wholeness and The Wisdom of Healing

"Inspirational. . . .The author has ventured where there was no path and lit a beacon for all to follow." —Anne Bashkiroff, cofounder, Alzheimer's Association and Family Caregiver Alliance

"A wealth of knowledge and resources with the voice of experience and compassion. . . . This book is a true gift for professionals as well as loved ones." —David Kessler, author of The Rights of the Dying

"When it comes to both the nightmares and the nobility of caregiving, Beth McLeod has been there. Her moving personal story pulls no punches. . . . We need to put this book on America's required reading list." —Theodore Roszak, author of America the Wise and The True Wealth of Nations

"McLeod eloquently shows us how our grieving builds our humanity. And she inspires parents, spouses, and adult children to carry on their mission to care with compassion, pride, and faith." —Lucy Jo Palladino, Ph.D., author of Dreamers, Discoverers, and Dynamos

"Beth McLeod writes with the knowing heart of a caregiver and the pen of a poet. Her personal journey underlies the book's truth, while the pain and spiritual growth she explores and documents so well will touch all readers." —Suzanne Mintz, president and cofounder National Family Caregivers Association

"No book about the silent crisis of caring has been more deeply felt. . . . Beth McLeod's wisdom comes from an unflinching look at the real-life experience of family care: how it makes us grow up often in spite of our wish to remain our parents' children and how we may emerge from its spiritual tests strengthened down to our souls." —Paul Kleyman, editor, Aging Today, American Society on Aging

From the Inside Flap
"By my old professor’s 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 don’t 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 author’s 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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 8, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471254088
• ISBN-13: 978-0471254089
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,279,352 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A highly compelling and poignant book for all of us., October 20, 1999

By	"superevie" (Matthews, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews

Beth Witrogen McLeod's book Caregiving The Spiritual Journey of Love, Loss, and Renewal is a must read for any person taking care of an ill loved one, whether they are a child, spouse and/or aging parent. My interview with Beth revealed a strong woman with a fierce detrmination to help other caregivers make the most of a very painful situation. Beth includes her own personal journey along with the stories of hundreds of people she has met online in her chat groups or in person during her many public appearances in her incredible book. As the creator and editor of HotFlash! a woman's online perimenopause/menopause magazine and online support group, I have found women in the same place as Beth. She has described so well in her book the guilt, the pain, the sorrow and yes, at times, the joy of taking care of a sick loved one. In attempting to find hope and love in a truly difficult situation, Beth guides us to make good decisions not only for the person needing care but for the person herself. She pulls back the curtain on this often overlooked yet important topic.

This is a must read for anyone taking care of a loved one and for the rest of us who will one day be in these extraordinary shoes.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A manual for finding comfort with the uncomfortable, July 20, 1999

By	Jerry M. Kaiser ([e-mail]) "kimn... (Boulder Creek, CA) - See all my reviews

Please read "Caregiving: The Spiritual Journey of Love, Loss, and Renewal," by Beth Witrogen McLeod (John Wiley and Sons, 1999). This extraordinary book presents the most challenging aspects of giving care - adults caring for their infirm or dying parents, spouses, and others - with incredible compassion and grace. I have never read a book which made me feel as comfortable with the uncomfortable as has Beth's.

Through her own experience with dying parents while an editor with the San Francisco Examiner Magazine, Beth began a series of "Caregiver" articles which included stories, suggestions, and resources for those going a similar life challenge. Beth's journey became a full-time commitment, resulting in this wonderful book.

In "Soul Keeping," she writes: "It can be necessary to uproot a parent, not just for physical well-being but for preservation of their very spirit. For it is not just a body that we are asked to care for: the unspoken role of every caregiver is guardian of the soul, and this prospect can be the most frightening. For where does well-being come but from within? Where does the giving come but from compassion? We are asked not only to be gatekeepers but especially soul keepers, preserving the best in our parents and inheriting the wisdom of their experience. When we are shepherding their lives, we had best be mindful of their spirits as well."

As instructive as it is moving, "Caregiving" includes action steps designed to assist those facing the many overwhelming challenges of caring for loved ones. It is a manual of compassionate care, and a wonderful gift for yourself.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too romantically written, February 18, 2007

By	S. Bower (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In an ideal world, we'd all have parents who we would want to help in old age, and it would be our honor to help them in their old age as they have helped us in our youth.

However, for the children of substance abuse parents and/or mentally ill patients the answers do not come easy. Things are much more complicated than simply finding a place to live, and deciding how much time you can spend with said loved one.

I'm not trying to over simplify, because all decisions dealing with older loved ones are difficult, but I was kind of hoping it would have given me more direction as to when its important to protect yourself as well. Its easy to get caught up in the caretaker role, feeling like a matyr without thinking about wheither or not this is the best desicion for you and your immediate family. Especially, if its puts you at risk for other health issues.