The Family Caregivers Manual

A complete, step-by-step guide offering problem-solving and coping skills applicable to every caregiver’s unique circumstances. Drawing from over twenty-five years of experience, Levy provides caregivers with a model for effective planning and problem-solving, focusing on the nonclinical aspects of caregiving, which are often neglected by medical professionals: Caring for young and old victims of disability, illness, and chronic disorders Finding ways to make our healthcare system work Assembling core information about a loved one's life Developing a realistic view of how much care a loved one needs today and may need tomorrow, and understanding that continuum of care Locating resources that can make a difference in making sure a loved one's care-needs are met Finding a good family caregiver support group Overcoming the roadblocks the caregiver's feelings of distress and failure can create Taking a practical approach to that overused phrase "Take care of yourself." David Levy, JD is a gerontologist and a recognized family caregiver expert. Levy holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence and is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator in family caregiving and a certified Family Conflict Dynamics Profiler. He facilitates weekly family caregiver support groups and counsels family caregivers, both pro bono and privately.

"Nurses play a vital role in improving the safety and quality of patient car -- not only in the hospital or ambulatory treatment facility, but also of community-based care and the care performed by family members. Nurses need know what proven techniques and interventions they can use to enhance patient outcomes. To address this need, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with additional funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has prepared this comprehensive, 1,400-page, handbook for nurses on patient safety and quality -- Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0043)." - online AHRQ blurb, http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/

The Caregiver's Handbook is a definitive guide to caring for a sick or disabled person of any age. Whether it be adults looking after parents, partners looking after each other, parents looking after children, or young caregivers looking after their parents, the Caregiver's Handbook addresses both the needs of the caregiver, and person who needs care. The Caregiver's Handbook offers emotional support and practical advice on a wide range of topics, enabling individuals to provide the best care possible-whatever the requirements. Everyday concerns, including healthy eating, personal care, and rest and sleep, are addressed alongside topics such as safe movement and handling, choosing the right stability aids, or even how to maneuver a wheelchair for the first time. Features also include a look at how either at the needs of the caregiver, or how the requirement of specific conditions-such as dementia or physical impairment-can affect the way a task can be approached. The Caregiver's Handbook is a comprehensive, compassionate, and indispensable resource that all caregivers will want to have on hand at all times - it is essential reading for anyone caring for someone at home.

A practical handbook for women confronting the problems of caring for an aging parent explains how to deal with the changing parent/child roles, foster aging parents' independence, get help from other family members, find time for oneself, and balance work, family, and caregiving responsibilities. Original.

This manual provides caregivers with practical knowledge and suggestions that could be of help to them in this important role. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the volume and tells how to use it. Chapter 2 identifies who caregivers are, what they do, and what changes have taken place in their lives since they became caregivers. Chapter 3 begins with a discussion of the sources of stress, its symptoms and stages, and its consequences and then describes techniques to reduce stress or its effects. Discussion in chapter 4 focuses on communication in the family, including such topics as information sharing, changing nature of relationships, need for support systems, and patterns of communication. Chapter 5 focuses on techniques for aiding communication with those with impaired hearing or vision, stroke, or neurological deficits. Chapter 6 describes important changes in the body and major age-related diseases. Chapters 7 and 8 provide information about the changing nutritional needs of older adults and about different types of exercise. Topics in chapter 9 concern the psychology of aging. Chapter 10 describes the various types of living arrangements in terms of the needs of the older people they accommodate. Chapter 11 covers legal and financial matters. The final chapter introduces a variety of agencies and their services that may be helpful in meeting the needs of caretakers and their older relatives. Recommended readings and references for each chapter are listed. (YLB)

This collection provides a comprehensive analysis of intervention approaches to dementia caregiving. It reviews the existing knowledge and provides a conceptual framework for organizing caregiver interventions of all types. Of special interest is the design of an intervention study for a culturally diverse community. The volume concludes with a discussion of how to translate intervention research into public policy, with an assessment of the future of caregiving and caregiving intervention research.