Caring for Yourself While Caring for Your Aging Parents: How to Help, How to Survive (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Berman (Making It as a Stepparent) here offers an empathetic guide to caring for elderly parents. Drawing from personal experience, research and anecdotal reports, she cogently addresses the emotional and physical problems involved, all the while emphasizing the importance of caring for oneself. Following the overview delivered in introductory chapters, Berman examines such specific areas as financing, trying to care for needy parents long-distance, sharing the care among siblings and coping with loss. Keeping a clear eye on the emotional component, which is inevitably involved in decisions in which children become responsible for their parents, Berman delivers sensible advice and practical help. Appendices include a Caregiver's Bill of Rights; lists of support organizations, including state departments on aging, with addresses and phone numbers; a bibliography; and a suggested reading list.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Caregiving for an aging individual evokes an emotional roller coaster of feelings and needs in the caregiver, all of which call for recognition and resolution. Through an expert weave of personal stories, her own experience, and expert advice from others, author Berman (Making It As a Stepparent, Carol, 1992) speaks directly to the emotional, practical, and financial aspects of caregiving. Berman writes in an easy-to-read and -relate-to style. Among the topics she looks at in this unique emotional resource are communication, boundary-setting, attention to the caregiver's needs, the guilt involved in long-distance caregiving, sibling stress, decision-making, loss and grief, the nursing home dilemma, and the future picture for caregivers. She provides a listing of helpful resources, a caregiver bill of rights, and a suggested bibliography. This is truly a one-of-a-kind book, with practical suggestions aimed at validating and supporting the caregiver's emotional coping mechanisms. Highly recommended for general collections.?Linda Malone, Walter Reed Hospice, Newport News, Va.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Owl Books (NY) (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805041095
• ISBN-13: 978-0805041095
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #799,828 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a treasure trove of info no matter how old your parents are, March 1, 2000

By A Customer

Although my mother has some serious health problems, she's still in her fifties, so I hesitated at first to read this book. I thought there was no way it could be relevant to adults whose parents are ill but not elderly. I was wrong. This book was a godsend as my siblings and I scrambled around trying to figure out what we needed to do and how we could do it. I've referred to it again and again, not just for practical help with my mom's needs, but emotional support for myself. What a tremendous resource this book is.

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable assistance for devastating problems, October 18, 1999

By	Pat Goldstein (US) - See all my reviews

This book is a must for anyone dealing with the monumental problems that can arise as parents get older. Ms. Berman provides important information, reassurance, and support that help caregivers deal sensitively and effectively with issues that had previously been overwhelming their lives. For oneself and as a gift to others, this is a jewel.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great info for all types & ages of cargeivers, July 3, 2001

By	L. Daniel (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

Claire Berman gives fabulous examples for all types of caregiver situations. The information is a valuable tool in handling a wide range of issues, from a parent's early needs, to full nursing care. The book aids caregivers with making medical and financial decisions for elderly parents and finding help in the community without jeopardizing your loved one's independence. In addition, it encourages the reader to find the right caregiver support group and keep a clear focus on your own family needs/priorities.