The Caring Caregiver's Guide to Dealing with Guilt

Starr Calo-oy; Bob Calo-oy

ISBN 10: 0975319507 / ISBN 13: 9780975319505

Published by Orchard Publications, 2004

Fast Free Shipping â Very Good condition book with a firm cover and clean pages. Shows normal use and some light wear or limited notes markings. A solid, nice copy to enjoy. Seller Inventory # GWV.0975319507.VG

Synopsis:

This is a collection of true short stories about the families we have helped over the years through our work providing personal home care for the elderly. Written in a down-to-earth style that family caregivers will find easy to identify with, Caring Caregivers… will touch readers in the deepest part of their hearts as they learn about the obstacles other families have overcome. They will be comforted to know that though the experiences described in this book are extremely difficult and painful, they are not insurmountable and that there can be relief and even celebration at the end of life. Nine types of guilt are identified and solutions are provided to overcome them.The real-life people whose stories are told in The Caring Caregivers Guide to Dealing with Guilt cope with a host of problems as they care for their aging parents--progressive mental illness, violence, various kinds of abuse, eventually death--and with their own overwhelming feelings of helplessness, revenge, resentment, and guilt as they struggle to manage these problems along the way. But the tumultuous and seemingly insurmountable situations in which they find themselves are hardly rare. Baby boomers , the sandwich generation - there are various labels used to describe this demographic group--and the facts speak for themselves. Census studies by the Administration on Aging, AARP and the National Alzheimer s Association have revealed that in the year 2000 there were 281,421,906 people living in the U.S. Of that number, 45,797,200 were over the age of 65. Within this population, 52% are mentally or physically handicapped and 33.4% are severely disabled.The most amazing statistic of all is that only 4.1% of our more than 45 million citizens over 65 are currently in nursing homes. This means that a staggering 43 million families are currently wrestling with what to do about finding appropriate care for their parents], or are struggling to care for them themselves. And this is not a problem that will go away: the numbers of the aged in our population are climbing every year, and it is estimated that by the year 2030, there will be 85 million Americans over the age of 60.If we take into consideration the fact that people are living longer (according to the Census Bureau, the average age at death in the year 2000 was 85), we can see that there are millions of Americans between the ages of 38 and 67 who are of necessity making decisions about arranging care for their elderly parents or grandparents. Many of these caregivers have children of their own and the responsibilities of caring for them, both in the home and on the job; they want to help their parents, but they are simply overwhelmed. All too often, they suffer from a tremendous burden of guilt that keeps them from making important and sound decisions about their parents care until it is too late--and their own health, and their careers or marriages, are sacrificed in the meantime.The Caring Caregivers Guide to Dealing with Guilt will help families make the difficult decisions they have to make, and come to grips with the nearly inevitable battle with the guilt monster that stalks them when they do so.

About the Author: Bob & Starr Calo-oy were both born and raised in San Antonio and have been joyfully married for 27 years. From 1989 to 2006, they owned and operated a personal care home specializing in the care of terminally ill patients and victims of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia in their San Antonio home. They also cared for the well-minded elderly who could no longer care for themselves at home. In addition to caring for the elderly in their home, they have given in-service training for doctors, nurses, the staffs of hospices and home health agencies, sharing tips and unique ideas for caring for people with dementia. Starr also gives private consultations to individuals on how to start and operate a successful personal care home as well as helping family caregivers set up their home for care.Starr is past Vice-President of San Antonio Residential Care Homes (SARCH) and was the creator, editor and publisher of their newsletter from 1998 through 2001. She is also past Vice President, editor and publications director on the board of The Final Draft, the newsletter for the San Antonio Writers Guild. She is a columnist for SAWorship.com as well as a freelance writer for the San Antonio Express-News. In April 2004, they released their first book, “The Caring Caregivers Guide to Dealing with Guilt”, about their experiences over 17 years of operating their personal care home. This book is about the undeserved guilt families experience when they turn the care of their loved ones over to someone else. However, if the family desires to care for their loved one in their own home, it provides tips and directions to help them. It was written so that the medical field can benefit by empathizing while at the same time making it easy for the non-medical professional to easily understand its content. In November 2006, they released “Hospice Care at Home/ A guide to caring for your dying loved one at home.” This book provides the family caregiver with all the information necessary to keep their loved one in their home through death rather than sending them to a more institutional setting. It has sold over 2,000 copies over the past few months and is on its way to becoming a best seller.In November 2007, they will release 2 new books, “Caregiving Tips A-Z, Alzheimer’s & Other Dementias” and “Caregiving Tips A-Z.” Starr and Bob published their own monthly, 26-page tabloid newspaper, the TELESTARR, which was circulated throughout South Texas city, county and state agencies for eight years. Presently, they counsel couples to help them to develop a more meaningful relationship and better communication skills. They have also written a series of 7 booklets to help the family caregiver, having to do with the different dilemmas that they face while caring for their loved one. In September, 2007, they started the non-profit organization, Caregivers Support Network, through which they will begin teaching free caregiving classes in February 2008 which will be open to the public.Starr and Bob speak at conventions, seminars, civic clubs, and health care facilities, do book signings at Barnes & Noble’s all over Texas, and make television and radio appearances.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Caring Caregiver's Guide to Dealing with...
Publisher: Orchard Publications
Publication Date: 2004
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: very_good