Helping Yourself Help Others: A Book for Caregivers - Softcover

Carter, Rosalynn; Golant M.A., Susan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0812925912 ISBN 13: 9780812925913

Publisher: Three Rivers Press, 1995

Synopsis

Having cared at home for her ailing father and grandfather, Rosalynn Carter's involvement has taught her that Americans are in the middle of a caregiving crisis. In this book, Mrs. Carter addresses the social issues that have created this crisis and offers practical solutions to the problems caregivers typically experience, such as isolation, burnout, anger, and helplessness.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews:

The former First Lady (First Lady from Plains, 1984, etc.) offers advice, support, and pats on the back for all those who feed, clothe, bathe, and comfort sick friends and relatives, for those who insert the feeding tubes and empty the bedpans. In her introduction, Carter explains: ``I have written Helping Yourself Help Others to hopefully ease the trauma associated with caregiving and to help you feel not quite so alone.'' In a tone that hovers somewhere between the maternal and the institutional, Carter reassures home caregivers that their complaints about having no time of their own are not expressions of selfishness and that fatigue is not failure. She offers strategies to avoid burnout and depression and advice on how to deal with the problems that caregiving can cause in a marriage. It's not just care for the old and infirm that she addresses. Carter's talking to those who care for developmentally disabled children, people with AIDS, the injured, and anyone else who might require long-term care in the home. Much of the data used in the book comes out of the Rosalynn Carter Institute at Georgia Southwestern College. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Library Journal:

An estimated 25 million Americans are family caregivers, providing for the physical and psychological needs of older parents, chronically ill spouses, or children with disabilities. Caregiving can be a demanding yet fulfilling occupation but may leave caregivers feeling isolated and unprepared for their role. The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Human Development was created by the former First Lady to study the caregiving process and find new ways to assist caregivers. This book offers tips for dealing with health professionals, finding a support group (or starting one of your own), recognizing signs of caregiver burnout, and techniques to make life more satisfying for both caregiver and care recipient. While Carter's book is easy to read and filled with stories from family caregivers, the reassuring tone makes it more emotionally supportive than informational. Nonetheless, it deserves a spot in caregiver and consumer health collections. Appendixes include policy recommendations for improving caregiver services, lists of organizations, and books.
--Karen McNally Bensing, Benjamin Rose Inst. Lib., Cleveland
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Three Rivers Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0812925912
• ISBN 13: 9780812925913
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288