Caregiving can be a wonderful yet also very challenging opportunity. There are a variety of resources available to help someone navigate this path. A few are listed below:
Web Resources
The demands of caregiving can be overwhelming, especially if you feel you have little control over the situation or you’re in over your head. If the stress of caregiving is left unchecked, it can take a toll on your health, relationships, and state of mind—eventually leading to burnout. [HelpGuide.org]
This website, supported by New York’s United Hospital Fund, contains a series of helpful videos on the topic of caregiving. [nextstepincare.org]
This smart phone app allows the user to create an online, private calendar that can serve all family members as a coordinating mechanism.
Books
Author: Gail Sheehy
This guide divides the journey of caregiving into 8 phases from beginning to end. It helps provide resources and encouragement for each of these phases, sharing the trials and fears, but also joys that can be found in caregiving.
Author: Pamela D. Wilson
The Caregiving Trap provides recommendations for exhausted and frustrated caregivers that will help you navigate the challenges of caring for a loved one and help you replace feelings of guilt, sadness, and fatigue with calm and certainty. The companion website (www.thecaregivingtrapbook.com) contains helpful information and a podcast series that answers lots of questions caregivers might have.
Author: Ira Byock, M. D.
Four simple phrases — “Please forgive me,” “I forgive you,” “Thank you,” and “I love you”—carry enormous power to mend and nurture our relationships and inner lives. These four phrases and the sentiments they convey provide a path to emotional wellbeing, guiding us through interpersonal difficulties to life with integrity and grace.
ging ParentsThis book and associated website is an excellent resource for those whose parents are aging and facing difficult decisions. The associated website (https://careforagingparents.com/) has a downloadable “Caregiver’s Organizer,” with helpful worksheets.
Authors: Debbie Barr, Edward Shaw, and Gary Chapman
This 240-page book provides readers with practical steps for the caregivers and care receivers to cultivate an emotional connection amid memory loss.
