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Caring for an aging loved takes the caregiver on an incredibly rewarding journey. However, ups and downs can throw the caregiver off course. Caregivers who remain supported as they carry out their role serve more effectively. Books and local resources can help caregivers navigate.
The demands of caregiving are unending. The caregiver is responsible for the well-being of an elderly care recipient for years or even decades. Stress tends to snowball—and if not addressed, can lead to exhaustion, negativity, and apathy. In other words, burnout can ensue.
Caregivers are urged to seek support so that they do not make this journey alone. By enlisting the help of others, their workload is lessened. A manageable workload is less stressful, which is a benefit for not only the caregiver but the vulnerable care recipient who needs compassionate care.
What local resources help caregivers?
Support groups for caregivers are ideal places to find people who are in similar situations. By joining a caregiver support group, members give and take advice and share caregiving tips that work. Caregivers are surrounded by other caregivers who can be valuable sources of empathy.
Additional resources that can be beneficial to caregivers include adult day centers. These facilities are open during the day only and provide a safe environment for seniors of all ability levels. Admitting a senior to an adult day center gives the caregiver a much-needed break.
Similarly, caregivers can utilize respite care services from a local home care agency. Professional caregivers arrive at the home to pick up care where the family caregiver leaves off. Quality care remains uninterrupted, and the caregiver has an opportunity to rest and rejuvenate.
What are the best books for caregivers?
Support groups, adult day centers, and respite care services are not the only resources to help. Caregivers should also invest in reading books that offer practical advice, humor, and support. The following books are recommended for caregivers at any stage of their journey.
- The Sudden Caregiver: A Roadmap for Resilient Caregiving
Written by Karen Warner Schueler, this book is for caregivers who unexpectedly find themselves in a caregiving role. Scheuler, a family caregiver, provides down-to-earth advice for other family caregivers. She addresses the “caregiver paradox,” where caregiving is exhausting yet deeply meaningful.
- When Caregiving Calls: Guidance as You Care for a Parent, Spouse, or Aging Relative
Aaron Blight’s book acknowledges the challenges family caregivers face. While being confusing, frustrating, and painful, caregiving can also be satisfying. The chapters are filled with advice on coping with the psychological, physical, social, and spiritual challenges caregivers face.
Like caregiving, reading this book is rewarding. Blight’s stories help caregivers feel that their struggles are understood. Guilt, for example, can concern caregivers. But Blight addresses this feeling and many others with graphs and questionnaires that can help caregivers analyze their feelings.
- The Conscious Caregiver: A Mindful Approach to Caring for Your Loved One Without Losing Yourself
In her book, Linda Abbit emphasizes the importance of self-care while serving others in a caregiving role. She offers practical tips to stay financially secure, manage emotional stress, and take time to care for oneself. Most importantly, she advises how caregivers can discuss the situation with care recipients.
In order to serve as a reliable caregiver, self-care is critical. A caregiver who is overwhelmed physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially is unable to provide quality care. The caregiver must remain physically and emotionally healthy, and this book shows them how.
- Chicken Soup for the Caregiver’s Soul
Filled with 101 stories gathered by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and LeAnne Thieman, this book should be on every caregiver’s shelf. By reading personal stories shared in digestible chapters, caregivers discover strength and renewed hope. Like all books in the Chicken Soup series, this one is uplifting.
Caregivers who need a daily dose of inspiration reach for this book. Reading one or two stories per day gives them the important reminder that they are not alone in their feelings. Humor is added, along with words that help caregivers feel validated. Readers will both cry and smile.
- Daily Comforts for Caregivers
It is important for caregivers to not feel alone, and Pat Samples’ book of affirmations helps them know they are understood. This book contains 366 affirmations and bits of wisdom, one for each day of the year. An index helps readers find topics that would benefit them in the moment.
Reading one inspiring topic each morning can give caregivers the strength they need to carry on throughout the day. Caregivers discover new perspectives that help them deal with feelings of frustration, guilt, anxiety, and anger. This book is a must-read for every caregiver.
Books, a reliable support network, caregiver support groups, and respite care services should be incorporated into a caregiver’s caregiving plan. When you are looking for reputable respite care, choose Assisting Hands Home Care. We serve the non-medical care needs of seniors.
Respite care is invaluable to family caregivers. By bringing in a capable caregiver for a few hours or days during the month, they have an opportunity to relax. Feeling well-rested allows the family caregiver to return to caregiving duties with a renewed outlook and plenty of energy.
In-home respite care includes services, such as help with personal hygiene tasks, meal preparation, grocery shopping, light housekeeping, and transportation to areas within the community, such as doctors’ offices and senior centers. We also serve as companions to deter loneliness and isolation.
Assisting Hands Home Care professionals pass background checks, are trained to respond to emergencies and know how to provide CPR and First Aid. Our respite caregivers are licensed, bonded, and insured to give families and their aging loved ones maximum peace of mind.
Family caregivers who utilize respite care from Assisting Hands Home Care experience less stress and greater satisfaction. We serve the elderly home care needs for individuals in Burr Ridge, IL | Lyons, IL | Indian Head Park, IL | McCook, IL | Hodgkins, IL | Countryside, IL | Willow Springs, IL | Palisades, IL | La Grange Highlands, IL | Clarendon Hills, IL | Brookfield, IL | Western Springs, IL | Hinsdale, IL | Darien, IL | La Grange, IL | Downers Grove, IL | Oak Brook, IL | Willowbrook, IL and the surrounding areas. Schedule a free in-home consult and learn more about our flexible in-home care services. Call us today at 630) 407-1932 .
