The Unexpected Caregiver

By Kari Berit

Book Overview

As their parents grow older, growing numbers of Baby Boomers find themselves thrust into a caregivers role, often with little warning or preparation. The Unexpected Caregiver not only gives tools and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1578616069
• ISBN13: 9781578616060
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Attainment Co, Inc.
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 0.5" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

With a firm emphasis on practical matters, The Unexpected Caregiver is a solid and compassionate res

Written by Kari Berit, author of the Active Seniors column for "Creative Forecasting" The Unexpected Caregiver: How Boomers Can Keep Mom & Dad Active, Safe and Independent lives up to its title, as it is packed cover to cover with invaluable information for any adult finding themselves in the role of caregiver to aging loved ones. Chapters address how to better communicate across the generational divide, the quest for spiritual direction, self-sustaining activities, the value of exercise, how pets factor into the equation, and much more. "Check their insurance coverage. Some carriers (including some Medicare supplementals, though not Medicare itself, at this writing) recognize the impact on insurance claims of staying active and healthy and will reimburse, in full or in part, for health-club memberships - provided they're used on a regular basis." With a firm emphasis on practical matters, The Unexpected Caregiver is a solid and compassionate resource, and a "must-have" for any baby boomer responsible for aging relatives.

Kari Berit tells it like it is.

Baby Boomers still have worries about their own adult children, they help take care of grandchildren, and now they must face up to the aging of their parents. Boomers can feel like triple-generation-parents even as they age into retirement themselves. Boomers need help! The Unexpected Caregiver: How Boomers Can Keep Mom & Dad Active, Safe and Independent has arrived at just the right time. Read it quickly, searching for advice that matches your particular issues and questions, or read it through slowly grasping the all-important frame of mind and ideas for maintaining a sense of independence by older parents - either way is helpful. Kari Berit tells it like it is; with humor, respect and wisdom. She is savvy about family challenges that can arise in the care of aging parents and is a fountain of knowledge about creative activities that work. She uses many practical lessons for the seasoned caregiver as well as for the newcomer to the possibility of parenting one's parents. For example, there are several sections on healthy activities include up-to-date material on scrapbooking, mentoring, traveling and writing family histories. The four chapters on end-of-life issues are written with great sensitivity for spiritual issues and with a sense of reality about the different expectations, often unspoken, among family members. The Unexpected Caregiver: How Boomers Can Keep Mom & Dad Active, Safe and Independent tackles head on what is perhaps the most important yet misunderstood dimension of taking on a caregiving role with ones parents - enabling aging parents to retain a sense of control over their own lives. As need for assistance grows with age, finding ways to keep one's parents in the loop of influence and bi-directional support increasingly calls for resourceful decisions about how to relate to one's parents and to others who provide care and support for your parents. The Unexpected Caregiver has inventive suggestions for how to make that happen. Not only is The Unexpected Caregiver a helpful guide providing important and workable steps for making a difference in the lives of aging parents, but it is also an emotionally upbeat gift for Boomers. It can reduce Boomer's anxieties over how to handle this new, perhaps unexpected experience of caregiving for their parents. Because of that, Boomers will appreciate any person who hands them a copy of The Unexpected Caregiver to read. It is an especially valuable gift when provided by family members, financial planners, insurance companies, retirement centers... the list goes on. Bruce B. Roberts, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychology, St. Olaf College Co-author, I Remember When: Activity Ideas to Help People Reminisce