"In a time when tens of millions of people provide care for family members, older adults, and people with special needs, we should all be experts at it. Instead, we often struggle with caring for others while taking care of ourselves. In Take Good Care, author Cynthia Orange brings together compelling testimonies from a wide range of caregivers, advice from leading experts in the field, and her own hard-won wisdom to capture the subtle differences between caretaking and caregiving. With a foreword by Susan Allen Toth, the critically acclaimed author of No Saints around Here: A Caregiver's Days, this book shows us how and why caring for each other can be a mutually rewarding experience. It's easy to become overinvolved in another person's life and needs when giving care. Feeling burdened with expectations and resentments in a codependent relationship hinders a sense of joy, purpose, and engagement. Relationships require empathy and boundaries; with them, a codependent caretaker can transform into an intentional, self-aware, and compassionate caregiver"--
Spiritual and Practical Help From a Caregiver Most caregivers today have no training for the role into which they are thrust. Having been the primary caregiver for her mother, Lois Knutson draws on not only her years of experience, but also her professional training to offer encouragement and assistance to caregivers. Because she knows the situations that weigh down caregivers, Knutson gently builds them up as they continue to care for their elderly loved ones. In addition to practical tips, readers will find ways to care for themselves. Subjects addressed in Compassionate Caregiving include: how to balance work and caregiving; when and how to find home healthcare or care facilities; long-distance caregiving; how to provide for the dying; and much more.
Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.
Compassion draws physicians into medicine, but then they believe they must jettison that compassion to survive. Paradoxically, science has now shown that losing that compassion not only harms the patient, it also harms the doctor. How Doctors Care: The Science of Compassionate and Balanced Caring in Medicinee xplains what physicians and other clinicians can do to provide balanced and compassionate caring for patients without becoming emotionally detached or overwhelmed. The text provides a research-informed and non-sentimental description of physician/clinician compassion. Bringing together cutting-edge scientific research for practicing physicians and those in training, How Doctors Care provides the first full articulation of what constitutes optimal compassionate mental performance in the practice of medicine. It argues how maintaining this internal state is the key to physician resilience and fulfillment in a dysfunctional healthcare system. Rather than blaming clinicians for burnout, How Doctors Care argues that healthcare organizations must provide organizational protection and support to clinicians so that they are able to maintain the compassionate internal state they desire so much and that benefits patients the most. Dominic O. Vachon, M.Div., Ph.D., is the John G. Sheedy M.D. Director of the Ruth M. Hillebrand Center for Compassionate Care in Medicine in the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame. He is also a professor of practice in the Preprofessional Studies Department, where he teaches courses in compassionate care in medicine, medical counseling skills, and spiritualties of caring in the helping professions. Dr. Vachon does research on the internal mental and emotional process of the clinician compassion mindset in patient care, clinician communication skills, and innovations in medical training applying the science of compassion. Dr. Vachon has devoted the last 25 years of his professional career to supporting and training physicians, residents, medical students, premedical students, and other clinicians in patient communication skills as well as dealing with burnout and the recovery of compassionate care in the inner lives of clinicians. As a medical psychologist who has spent most of his life training new physicians as well as conducting his own clinical practice, Vachon has been uniquely positioned to hear how physicians suffer in clinical practice and to bring to bear the insights of the science of compassionate caring to help them restore their compassionate ideals and thereby, to improve patient care.
Compassion Satisfaction: 50 Steps to Healthy Caregiving presents 50 strategies for creating caregiving partnerships leading to healthier caregiving practices. Each strategy is followed by five helpful suggestions to aid helpers and organizations in creating authentic, sustainable care. In order for caregivers everywhere to be change agents, we must take the first step and act on behalf of ourselves and those we serve. Successful caregiving outcomes bring satisfying results and motivates those in our care, promotes collaboration, and heralds a new level of satisfaction in the work we choose to do. And most important, raises our Compassion Satisfaction levels!
Millions of Americans are or will be amateur caregivers for ill spouses, parents, or friends. Caregivers today, more than ever, use technology to help manage schedules, medication routines and pharmacy reminders, legal and financial affairs, as well as travel and expenses. Yet recent insurance options and health care’s emerging digital world make for an overwhelming, complex process. If you are one of the 64 million current caregivers, could you access your parents’ critical documents in an emergency, using their user IDs and passwords? Do you know how often your parents or parents-in-law are taking medications, how often your loved one goes to the doctor, and how to be involved in medical and life decisions? Statistics show 85 percent of caregivers are not trained in caregiving, so many people are likely winging it, picking up pieces of information here and advice there. The Caregiver’s Toolbox is your guide to cool apps and online tools, insider tips on how to reduce your medical bills, your privacy rights as a caregiver, where to go for free and low-cost help, and much more. It clearly shows which tools will relieve your stress, and those that may add stress. The authors dedicate much of their professional lives to helping people navigate the health care matrix. For updates on tools, applications, and emerging technology, visit the authors’ website, www.caregivers-toolbox.com.
Once it was difficult to see end of life care beyond conventional medical intervention, but hospice and palliative care introduced a more holistic approach, providing quality of life for the dying and their families. This ground-breaking work takes end-of-life care beyond these palliative boundaries, describing a public health vision that involves whole communities adopting a compassionate approach to dying, death and loss. Written by a leading academic in the field of death and bereavement, this text outlines the historical, political and conceptual basis of compassionate cities, providing a community development model for end-of-life care. Moving away from infection control and health promotion Allan Kellehear invites us to think of a third wave movement of public health, joining empathy, equality and action together as practical policies. Presenting a radical new perspective to death, ageing and public health, Compassionate Cities is essential reading for academics and professionals alike.
Working as an emergency room nurse, Margaret Coberly came in contact with death on a daily basis. However, it wasn't until her own brother was diagnosed with terminal cancer that she realized she understood very little about the emotional and spiritual aspects of caring for the terminally ill. To fill this gap she turned to the unique wisdom on death and dying found in Tibetan Buddhism. In this book Coberly offers sound, practical advice on meeting the essential needs of the dying, integrating stories from her long career in nursing with useful insights from the Tibetan Buddhist teachings. In the West, death is viewed as a tragic and horrible event. Coberly shows us how this view generates fear and denial, which harm the dying by adding unnecessary loneliness, confusion, and mental anguish to the dying process. Tibetan Buddhism focuses on the nature of death and how to face it with honesty, openness, and courage. In this view, death is not a failure, but a natural part of life that, if properly understood and appreciated, can offer the dying and their loved ones an opportunity to gain valuable insight and wisdom. Coberly argues that the Tibetan Buddhist outlook can be a useful antidote to the culture of fear and denial that surrounds death in the West and can help caregivers become more fully present, fearless, honest, and compassionate. Sacred Passage highlights two very practical teachings on death and dying from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and presents them in clear, nontechnical language. Readers learn about the "eight stages of dissolution leading to death," a detailed roadmap of the dying process that describes the sequence of physical, psychological, and spiritual changes that occur as we die. Coberly also presents the "death meditation," a contemplative exercise for developing a new relationship to death—and life. The book also includes a lengthy, annotated list of recommended readings for added guidance and inspiration. Topics include: • How the terminally ill can experience emotional and spiritual healing even when they can't be cured • Why Western medicine's relentless focus on curing disease has led to inadequate care for the dying • What to expect during the dying process • How our fear and denial of death harm the dying • Techniques to help caregivers promote a peaceful environment for the dying and their loved ones • How to meet the changing physical and emotional needs of the dying • Helpful advice on what to say and how to behave around the terminally ill
An indispensable, comprehensive reference for family caregivers. Caregivers hold the key to the health, well-being, and happiness of their aging relatives, partners, or friends. The Caregiver's Encyclopedia provides you with all of the information you need to take the best care of your loved one—from making major medical decisions to making sure you don't burn out. Written by Muriel R. Gillick, MD, a geriatrician with more than 30 years' experience caring for older people, this book highlights the importance of understanding your friend's or family member's overall health. With compassion and expertise, this book will help you "think like a doctor." The content • helps you navigate the health-care system • shares important information about treating basic geriatric syndromes, including delirium, dementia, and falls • teaches you about preventive care options • enables you to manage medical decisions related to both acute and chronic conditions • discusses what Medicare covers—and what it doesn't • guides you through different approaches to care • weighs the risks and benefits of hospital vs. home, nursing home, or hospice care • provides a detailed list of medical supplies that you might want to keep on hand • offers you additional resources and emotional support Throughout, Gillick provides helpful information and concrete concepts that caregivers can put into practice today. Authoritative, comprehensive, holistic, and highly illustrated, The Caregiver's Encyclopedia will help you figure out how to be the best caregiver you can be.
Despite the scope and sophistication of contemporary health care, there is increasing international concern about the perceived lack of compassion in its delivery. Citing evidence that when the basic needs of patients are attended to with kindness and understanding, recovery often takes place at a faster level, patients cope more effectively with the self-management of chronic disorders and can more easily overcome anxiety associated with various disorders, this book looks at how good care can be put back into the process of caring. Beginning with an introduction to the historical values associated with the concept of compassion, the text goes on to provide a bio-psycho-social theoretical framework within which the concept might be further explained. The third part presents thought-provoking case studies and explores the implementation and impact of compassion in a range of healthcare settings. The fourth part investigates the role that organizations and their structures can play in promoting or hindering the provision of compassion. The book concludes by discussing how compassion may be taught and evaluated, and suggesting ways for increasing the attention paid to compassion in health care. Developing a multi-disciplinary theory of compassionate care, and underpinned by empirical examples of good practice, this volume is a valuable resource for all those interesting in understanding and supporting compassion in health care, including advanced students, academics and practitioners within medicine, nursing, psychology, allied health, sociology and philosophy.