Moments That Matter A Life Changing Companion Journey Guide For Caregiver Support Groups Or Individual Study

Navigate your Caregiver Journey This Journey Guide is a companion study to the first book, Moments that Matter: A roadmap for caregivers and their loved ones with memory loss. They are designed to be used together. Learn and study the art of Moment-Making: Personal reflection Self-care Spiritual growth Support Groups Individual Study Age and ability appropriate activities Caregivers are Wounded Healers. A caregiver's wounds are many. Physical strain, anger, guilt, and grief can be daily stressors. Sharing your personal story with group members, as well as hearing theirs, helps to restore brokenness and brings healing. God is the great healer and guide on our journey. He is our strength when we are weary, our hope when we are discouraged, and our encourager when the stress of caregiving weighs us down. He allows us to find joy in the journey. "This insightful book and the Caregiver Support Group gave me ideas and guidelines that helped me love and care for my husband in new ways." .....Susie Nelson "This support group altered my perspective, my role changed from extending my mother's life to providing quality loving care." .....Manny Roman

With a foreword by Judy Woodruff, The Unexpected Journey of Caring is a practical guide to finding personal meaning in the 21st century care experience. Personal transformation is usually an experience we actively seek out—not one that hunts us down. Becoming a caregiver is one transformation that comes at us, requiring us to rethink everything we once knew. Everything changes—responsibilities, beliefs, hopes, expectations, and relationships. Caregiving is not just a role reserved for “saints”—eventually, everyone is drafted into the caregiver role. It’s not a role people medically train for; it’s a new type of relationship initiated by a loved one’s need for care. And it’s a role that cannot be quarantined to home because it infuses all aspects of our lives. Caregivers today find themselves in need of a crash course in new and unfamiliar skills. They must not only care for a loved one, but also access hidden community resources, collaborate with medical professionals, craft new narratives consistent with the changing nature of their care role, coordinate care with family, seek information and peer support using a variety of digital platforms, and negotiate social support—all while attempting to manage conflicts between work, life, and relationship roles. The moments that mark us in the transition from loved one to caregiver matter because if we don’t make sense of how we are being transformed, we risk undervaluing our care experiences, denying our evolving beliefs, becoming trapped by other’s misunderstandings, and feeling underappreciated, burned out, and overwhelmed. Informed by original caregiver research and proven advocacy strategies, this book speaks to caregiving as it unfolds, in all of its confusion, chaos, and messiness. Readers won’t find well-intentioned clichés or care stereotypes in this book. There are no promises to help caregivers return to a life they knew before caregiving. No, this book greets caregivers where they are in their journey—new or chronic—not where others expect (or want) them to be.

Family members, and sometimes close friends, are often called upon to act as caregivers to ill or aged people they care about or for whom they are responsible. Although there are many rewarding outcomes of the time spent between the courageous and dedicated caregiver and the care-receiver*, the caregivers are usually unprepared, untrained and unsupported. The caregivers are also often isolated. These factors can put a huge amount of stress on non-professional or family caregivers. Attending a caregiver support group focusing on specific issues is of great benefit for caregivers. Such groups can include those facilitated by professionals such as social workers, counselors and group facilitators, and those facilitated by lay persons, often themselves caregivers. The intention of Caregiver Support is to provide content for support group facilitators and caregivers that touches on crucial topics.

If you're thinking about starting a support group for dementia care partners, this downloadable leader's manual is for you. The Dementia Care Partner's Workbook is a new resource from Companion Press that is both a support group participant's manual and self-study guide for care partners who have a loved one with Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia. Its ten concise lessons not only walk you through the types, brain biology, and progressive symptoms of dementia but also offer practical tips for managing behaviors, coping with emotional issues, prioritizing self-care, and planning ahead—everything from diagnosis to end-of-life.If you are a medical, mental health, or other healthcare professional wanting to lead a support group for dementia care partners, or a layperson with a heart for those &“on the journey,&” A Leader's Manual for Dementia Care-Partner Support Groups is the comprehensive resource you need. The Manual provides general information about establishing and leading support groups, counseling skills for leaders and co-leaders, how to handle challenging group participants, step-by-step instructions on how to run each of the ten individual weekly meetings (including meeting-specific handouts), and lots of practical advice from co-authors Dr. Edward Shaw, physician, mental health counselor, and former dementia care partner, and Dr. Alan Wolfelt, world-renowned thanatologist, grief counselor, and author. The handouts and worksheets are number coded for easy cross-referencing with the content of The Dementia Care-Partner's Workbook.

The end of a caregiving experience leaves you a new person, yet without the time and perspective to adjust to that newness. It also brings up a conundrum—how do you move forward as this new person when you're missing the one who just died? "After Caregiving Ends, A Guide to Beginning Again" accompanies you as you cope with two losses—the loss of your caregiving role and the loss of your family member or friend.As a former family caregiver, you have access to information about grieving and settling an estate and selling a house. What you can't find is information about how to close out a caregiving experience. Caregiving ends in an instant and yet the the memory of the experience lingers. You may worry you didn't do enough to prevent a death. You may fret over discussions you didn't have with your caree. You might carry resentment toward family members who didn't step in to help. You might worry about the new make-up of your family; without your caree, will the family stay intact? And, you worry about finding another purpose as meaningful as caregiving.Organized into seven sections, "After Caregiving Ends, A Guide to Beginning Again" features practical tips, helpful insights and comforting perspectives of former family caregivers adjusting to life after caregiving."In the midst of caregiving, we are so tuned in to our caree's needs that we forget how to care for ourselves. Then in the blink of an eye, our caregiving journey ends and our lives are changed in oh-so-many ways. Suddenly we become a caregiver to ourselves with little direction on what to do. In Denise Brown's book, 'After Caregiving Ends. A Guide to Beginning Again,' we learn how to take care of ourselves and start anew at our own pace, guided by Denise's splendid care plan. No matter where you are in your caregiving journey, this is a must read!" ~ Chris MacLellan, who cared for his partner

"It's time to give yourself some self-care. From morning to evening, whether it's assisting with hygiene or making sure your loved one gets to their doctor's appointment on time, a caregiver's work is never done. Though borne from love, caregiving can be exhausting both physically and mentally, which is why it's important to take care of yourself. No matter the time of day, Self-Care for Caregivers is here to help you create a self-care routine that is right for you. Replenish your mind, body, and spirit with short, easy-to-squeeze-in activities like: taker you emotional temperature ; accept the big feelings caregiving triggers ; practice mindfulness with the five senses ; get rid of the judge in your head ; regain your balance ; and more! Full of helpful advice, this empathetic, useful guide is the perfect everyday companion for you. Fill your cup with Self-Care for Caregivers." -- Back cover.

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.

"A guide for carers caring for a person who has a life limiting illness at home"--Provided by publisher.