Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories (Paperback)

by Carol Bradley Bursack (Author) "A small breeze sifts through the screen, then sneaks around a cracked open window, carrying the rich scent of fall harvest from fields surrounding Fargo..." (more)
Key Phrases: Our Elders, North Dakota, Aunt Florencie (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Baby boomers are now facing the challenge of caring for their aging parents, and that challenge knows no borders. Some version of what has happened to the elderly people in my life and in the lives of the people I've interviewed, is happening or will happen to you, the reader, as well. Many of our elderly parents took their last breaths in a nursing home. Their health had deteriorated to a point where they couldn't safely stay in a family environment. You'll read of the turmoil many of us went through as we settled our loved ones in Rosewood on Broadway, or Elim, or Eventide. Homes in other areas will have different names, different physical configurations, different staff. That's immaterial. You'll go through the same agonizing process as you look for the best quality care available. You'll go through the same confusion as you try to find a way to work your parents' new environment into your own life. Some of our people are fortunate enough to die with family, in their own homes. Others die in a hospital. Some cling to a whisper of life in a nursing home. But for all, eventually, their journey must end. Minding Our Elders was written to support you as you travel the last leg of their journey with them. It was written to remind you that you are not alone.

About the Author
For over twenty years, Carol Bradley Bursack cared for a neighbor and six elderly family members. Through the years of caregiving and deaths, she has come to know professionals in the field, as well as many family caregivers. It was the caregivers themselves who inspired and encouraged her to write Minding Our Elders: Caregiver Share Their Personal Stories. According to a 2004 study by AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving, over 44 million people age 18 and over provide care to another adult. Most are happy to help, but caregiving can become an overwhelming addition to an already busy life. People need support. The purpose of Minding Our Elders is to offer a portable support group. Each story is self-contained. The stories are honest looks at many different situations with a common thread; that caregiving is both hard work, and -- at least in hindsight -- personally rewarding. The stories give comfort and assure people that they are not alone. Bursack writes a newspaper column titled Minding Our Elders, and maintains a Website and two blogs devoted to caregiver, boomer and senior issues. She's written hundreds of articles on eldercare, speaks and gives workshops on caregiving and has been interviewed on scores of national radio programs. Bursack is also a contributing author to The Media Librarian's Handbook (Facet Publishing 2008).

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: McCleery & Sons Publishing (August 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931916411
• ISBN-13: 978-1931916417
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #527,302 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Compassionate Care, April 7, 2009

By	Sam Oliver "Author of, "The Path into Hea... (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews

Carol has written a compassionate and heart felt reflection into the needs of the soul in taking care of your parents or elderly loved ones at the end of life's journey. This book will remind you that you are not alone in this process and the journey is one that will reach into your heart and embrace your soul.

The Path into Healing

5.0 out of 5 stars "Mind our Elders" is an EXCELLENT resource!, August 16, 2008

By	Dr. Annette Colby "Annette Colby" (Dallas, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

Anyone in the process of providing the most appropriate and loving caregiving for their beloved elderly knows just how rewarding the experience is. There are miraculous moments of shared tenderness and indescribable opportunities of healing. And yet there is another side to caregiving - it is often an emotionally exhausting and physically demanding journey. Caring for someone's declining health and wellbeing can feel like being in the middle of an out of control emotional whirlwind. Feelings of uncertainty, guilt, resentment, stress, burnout, and overwhelm are normal occurrences.

If you are a caregiver of your elderly parents, this book offers inspiration for all those times you feel overwhelmed with the issues of taking care of elderly parents. "Minding our Elders" is a collection of heart-warming stories written by author Bursack and caregivers who share their authentically honest and exquisitely human experiences. It is practical and overflowing with empathetic truth from those who have gone through the experience themselves.

The stories contained in this transformative book provide a "portable support group," allowing the reader to feel understood, comforted, and less alone. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is caring for an aging person. Is a great resource to help you care for your elderly without losing yourself. If you feel like you are alone and dealing with unique issues concerning your parents, please pick up a copy of this book. It will give you an invaluable resource of support and understanding to comfort you through the toughest of times.

Dr. Annette Colby: Author of "Your Highest Potential"

5.0 out of 5 stars An Enormous Gift to Caregivers and Caregivers to be., October 6, 2007

By	Skip Jones (Fergus Falls, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is far more than a delightfully well-written collection of inspiring stories.... The book really seems to prepare one for something one can't prepare for!!...It's quite brilliant...through a collection of vividly told stories, the reader has actually been there, ...with differing elders, personalities, needs, wishes, emotions, settings, timetables, etc.. ..all are unique, yet all are similar in that they are all trial and error on the caregivers part...uncharted waters you will just get into ...but the hope of the book (to me) is that the caregiver finds out there is no "right" way....far to many forces are at play... beyond the caregivers control...so you suck it up, do the best you can.. ..and don't fight natural events and ones desire to have done a better job. Readers are really lifted with more confidence, less guilt, and the definite feeling of not being alone. You will learn that you are not going to be perfect, but you can get the job done by doing the best you can. We can't be Carol, but we can learn from her going before us. What a friend to all caregivers. What a gift she has given us.

Skip Jones, Human Service Professional and family caregiver.