Visits: Caring for an Aging Parent: Reflections and Advice

By Lee Ann Chearney

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0609800590
• ISBN13: 9780609800591
• Release Date: March 1998
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 0.5" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

A beautifully written, touching book filled with wisdom

Lee Ann Chearney's book strikes the perfect balance between realsim and optimism. dealing with an aging parent is one of the most difficult things for an adult child to grapple with. Chearney shares her experiences with you in an intimate way that I (and I imagine most people in the same situation) can really understand and relate to. It helped my family immensely to see the parallels between her mother and my father, both aged and in nursing homes. I gained stregnth though her strength, and even through her weaknesses, which reassured me in mine. It's a beautiful, helpful book that every person with an ailing older parent should read.

A must-read if your parents are aging--and that's all of us

As Bruce Leff, M.D., points out in the forward, "Visits paints a full and immensely rich canvas and gives texture, depth, nuance, and shape to the emotional experience of planning for the care of--and caring for--aging loved ones." Organized in one-page topics, this book covers both the personal (such as Chearney's elderly grandmother's reluctance to have a flu shot) and the impersonal (including navigation tips for the equally forbidding terrains of nursing homes and Medicaid), in words that are both inviting and inspirational. Chearney's done a great service to all who, sooner or later, will of necessity wade into the elder-care waters, and I've already recommended this book to a number of friends who are either just now arriving at the shore, or are heading toward the deeper water that Chearney has learned to tread so well. Equally helpful are 2 Appendices: one a list of important papers to have on hand; the other a nursing home checklist; as well as a lengthy list of resources that includes everything from the American Association of Retired Persons to the Visiting Nurses' Association of America. Highly recommended.

Compassionate, honest, and reassuring

As a child, I looked forward to growing up and living my own life. No one warned me that everyone else grew older at the same time. It was such a shock to suddenly wake up one morning (or so it seemed), and find that the loved ones who had guided my growing up had themselves become old and frail. In "Visits," Lee Ann Chearney explores this betrayal of sorts with compassion and unflinching honesty. I laughed and I cried as I read these short essays that translate the very personal into the universal. This book is sure to touch the hearts of everyone whose parents are growing older, too.

A lyrical, practical guide for caring for aging loved ones

At 40 years of age, with parents in their mid-70s, I've begun to grapple with both the emotional and practical issues of what happens to families as loved ones get older, fall ill, and need care. Lee Ann Chearney's book provides insight and offers great advice for all of us--and there are millions of us!--in this position.

Wonderful and encouraging!

Lee Ann Chearney really spoke to my heart as I read this book. As a daughter of a mother with moderate dementia, I often feel like others don't understand what I am going through. I have circled page numbers and underlined passages throughout the text. Her thoughts and insights are helpful and encouraging. I finally followed her advice and called someone tonight to get them to come to my mother's home to help for several hours in the morning. The passages are short, often only one page, but that single page really focuses on a specific topic that caregivers face. Very worthwhile reading. I have ordered copies for my five siblings as well as a copy for a friend in the same situation.