The Sacred Art Of Caregiving

Few books have been written specifically for those dedicated men and women who labor as caregivers in our healthcare system. This is unusual when one considers that the services provided those needing medical care is largely their responsibility. This book is an educational resource which addresses the multi-faceted and often complex physical, psychological, social and spiritual issues which challenge the caregivers. The information contained in this text will be especially beneficial to these caregivers who provide direct, hands-on care to the elderly residing in special and long-term care facilities as well as home care. It will assist this specific group of caregiver with little or no formal training in the health care profession to participate more realistically in goal setting strategies, increase self-confidence, and improve their decision making skills. It will give them a greater sense of purpose and an improved sense of security in performing their caregiving responsibilities. It will also be helpful to the caregiver in his or her accumulating knowledge about the elderly resident. For example, he or she will become familiar with family structure, stressors which exist, coping skills, social support structures, physical, psychological, psychosocial and spiritual symptomatology as well as ethnic and cultural issues. The author is of the opinion that the information contained in this book will, in addition, increase the caregiver's knowledge base. For example, it will include effective ways of communicating with the elderly for whom they are caring including the use of behavioral management improving the caregiver's skill base making their jobs easier, and more productive. Such knowledge will improve their quality of life as well as the individual resident for whom they are responsible.

Few books have been written specifically for those dedicated men and women who labor as caregivers in our healthcare system. This is unusual when one considers that the services provided those needing medical care is largely their responsibility. This book is an educational resource which addresses the multi-faceted and often complex physical, psychological, social and spiritual issues which challenge the caregivers. The information contained in this text will be especially beneficial to these caregivers who provide direct, hands-on care to the elderly residing in special and long-term care facilities as well as home care. It will assist this specific group of caregiver with little or no formal training in the health care profession to participate more realistically in goal setting strategies, increase self-confidence, and improve their decision making skills. It will give them a greater sense of purpose and an improved sense of security in performing their caregiving responsibilities. It will also be helpful to the caregiver in his or her accumulating knowledge about the elderly resident. For example, he or she will become familiar with family structure, stressors which exist, coping skills, social support structures, physical, psychological, psychosocial and spiritual symptomatology as well as ethnic and cultural issues. The author is of the opinion that the information contained in this book will, in addition, increase the caregivers knowledge base. For example, it will include effective ways of communicating with the elderly for whom they are caring including the use of behavioral management improving the caregivers skill base making their jobs easier, and more productive. Such knowledge will improve their quality of life as well as the individual resident for whom they are responsible.

A Creative Journey for CaregiversHave you ever had one of those days when the fabric of your life, everything around you, seems to be in pieces?Your heart breaking, stressed, torn apart, caring for a loved one who doesn't even remember you as daughter or son, much less remember your name? Sometimes, you forget who you are! Your creativity is stifled!I know that when you assume the duties of care giving, as you may have experienced, you realize it is a full-time job. It's a whirl-pool requiring special effort to juggle business, family, the many doctor appointments, scheduling home-care personnel, plus managing the day-to-day activities. It's a special effort for you to stay afloat!I'm experiencing the upsets of being a caregiver. I'm familiar with the many challenges of a care givers life. I'm an artist, and a caregiver. I work from home creating Shimoda Accessories - Art for the Soul. I use the ancient art and craft traditions of hand stringing and knotting beads and semi-precious stones into fine jewelry and textile art; connecting cloth together by hand-stitching pieces of fabric into a whole cloth. I live with my husband and we take care of my 95 year-old mother. Mom has Alzheimer's disease. In addition, I also care for another family member who lives elsewhere. Thankfully, she is a breast-cancer survivor. However, she is now experiencing memory lapses.

Every day, thousands of people receive a diagnosis of serious, life-threatening illness, and their families and friends suddenly become caregivers. Despite the best of intentions it is not always easy to communicate well under these circumstances, or find deep empathy for something one has never before experienced. When is it best to speak, and when to be silent? How can someone provide real comfort, and how can relationships with loved ones facing serious illness be enhanced in this most difficult time? This book is about how to be an encouraging caregiver and friend under the most difficult circumstances, when the possibility of death is all too real The authors believe that open dialogue must not be avoided until the last minute when opportunities will be limited, but that caregivers and loved ones can embrace this time, mortal time, honestly as a way to sensitively and compassionately engage with those for whom a central fact of life is realized--that all of our lives are time-limited. In The Art of Conversation Through Serious Illness, the authors consider how to best listen to and speak with one facing life-threatening illness, with lessons on being a primary conversation partner, becoming properly empathic and receiving empathy, maintaining everyday conversation, using platitudes appropriately, understanding healthy denial, and talking about dying. Offering bedside guidance usually only available to professionals and peppered with insightful anecdotes from the authors' own experiences, this gentle, succinct book is appropriate for anyone going through this uniquely difficult yet universal life experience.

Hearing and listening are two different things. Learning to listen—really listen—requires sacred practice. The Sacred Art of Listening guides you through forty practices of deep listening—to our Source, to ourselves, and to each other. Inspiring text and contemplative artwork combine to communicate the three essential qualities of deep listening—silence, reflection, and presence. They demonstrate that the key to healthy relationships and spiritual transformation can be as basic as practicing the art of listening. You will learn how to: Speak clearly from the heart Communicate with courage and compassion Heighten your awareness and sensitivity to opportunities for deep listening Enhance your ability to listen to people with different belief systems

This collection of essays on the issue of spirituality within the healthcare field is mainly for caregivers themselves, although some sections are about those receiving care. "Caring From the Heart" is targeted at a broad healthcare market--nurses, medical students and teachers, hospital personnel, hospices, nursing homes, pastoral staffs, and chaplains.

Cultivate the potential for deeper connection in every conversation. "To think of conversation as a sacred art challenges us to imagine all the conversations in which we participate, from the acquaintance we run into at Target to the dialogue for which we've spent weeks in preparation, as a potentially sacred conversation." --from the Introduction We often find ourselves distracted and overwhelmed by a constant stream of information and demand for connectivity. Now more than ever, we need to develop our capacity for greater presence in our daily lives and relationships. One of the best ways to do this is by improving the quality of our conversations. Dr. Diane M. Millis offers us inspirational stories, insights and spiritual practices from many faith traditions to increase our awareness of the deep, natural holiness waiting to be unlocked in our everyday encounters. This resource is a catalyst for anyone who would like to enrich seemingly ordinary conversations as well as for leaders in educational, ministry and corporate settings who want to: Increase their capacity to listen deeply Become more self-aware and attentive to others Learn how to move beyond conventional topics to exploring purpose, meaning and values in conversation.

Take care of yourself. How many times a week do we hear or say these words' If we all took the time to care for ourselves, how much stronger will we be' More importantly how much stronger will our communities be' In Take Care of Your Self, Iraqi artist and curator Sundus Abdul Hadi turns a critical and inventive eye on the notion of self-care, rejecting the idea that self-care means buying stuff and recasting it as a collective practice rooted in the liberation struggles of the oppressed. Throughout, Abdul Hadi explores the role of art in fostering healing for those affected by racism, war, and displacement, weaving in the artwork of twenty-seven artists of color from diverse backgrounds to identify the points where these struggles intersect. In centering the voices of those often relegated to the margins of the art world and emphasizing the imperative to create safe spaces for artists of color to explore their complicated reactions to oppression, Abdul Hadi casts self-care as a political act rooted in the impulse toward self-determination, empowerment, and healing that animates the work of artists of color across the world.