ReadersMagnet recommends these inspiring reads that feature the challenges that caregivers endure.
One Caregiver’s Journey by Eleanor Gaccetta
One Caregiver’s Journey is one memoir every family caregiver should read. Eleanor Gaccetta’s 2019 book covers her journey from being a professional employee to a full-time caregiver. Gaccetta, a sole caregiver for a loved one, shares how she cared for her mother for almost ten years. Her story begins with her mother’s injury that forced Ellie to spend full-time taking care of her mom. Her mother was 93 when she fell and broke her hip. For nine and half years, Ellie took on the role of family caregiver until her mother’s death at age 102. One Caregiver’s Journey is a compelling narrative of how a career woman gave up everything and embraced the world of caregiving. In this book, readers will discover the many challenges, lessons, frustrations, and joy of being a family caregiver. One Caregiver’s Journey is also a touching tale of a daughter’s unconditional love for her mother. ReadersMagnet Review strongly recommends Eleanor Gaccetta’s One Caregiver’s Journey.
Daily Comforts for Caregivers by Pat Samples
First published over twenty years ago, this 1999 self-help book for caregivers remains a relevant read. Pat Samples, a Christian author, wrote Daily Comforts to inspire caregivers and motivate them to take care of themselves as well. Caregiving is one of the hardest jobs in the world, and the demands can sometimes take a toll on the caregivers, especially family caregivers. By providing readers with 366 days worth of wisdom and affirmations, the book addresses one caregiving issue per day. Daily Comforts acts as a support system for caregivers and helping them cope up with isolation, guilt, anxiety, frustration, and fatigue. It features a daily reading which ends with an inspiring affirmation designed to assist caregivers in taking good care of their total well-being.
No Saints Around Here: A Caregiver’s Days by Susan Allen Toth
No Saints Around Here: A Caregiver’s Days is a 2014 memoir by Susan Allen Toth. In her brutally honest book, Toth recalls the difficulties of taking care of her husband, James. James suffered from Parkinson’s Disease with eventual dementia. Susan decides to take care of James at home, the house where James designed, loved and lived for 25 years until his death. The book chronicles the last eighteen months of James and how Susan struggled from feeding James to watching his health slowly decline. Written in an episodic burst, No Saints Around Here is a book that paints the realities that family caregivers often had to endure. Susan Allen Toth dedicates her book to the millions of family caregivers who commit their time, energy, and emotions to take care of their sick loved ones.
Don’t Stop the Music: Finding the Joy in Caregiving by Nancy Weckwerth
Don’t Stop the Music: Finding the Joy in Caregiving is a powerful self-help book that features the story of Nancy Weckwerth, and her husband John D. Swan. In her book, Nancy shares her journey and transformation as a caregiver taking care of her sick partner. It is a story of acceptance, commitment, and determination. Weckwerth inspires the readers on their journey through every challenge, small victories, and lessons learned. Weckwerth writes with candidness and honesty, providing practical advice and tips along the way. Don’t Stop the Music is a remarkable narrative of one woman’s evolution from surviving to thriving. Nancy Weckwerth’s twenty-five years of caregiving experience gives motivation and shows young caregivers that you can do anything if you put your mind and heart into it. It is another family caregiving book that is surely worth reading.
Living with Dying by Jahnna Beecham and Katie Ortlip
Jahnna Ortliphas spent the past 25 years working as a nurse and social worker for Asante Hospice in Southern Oregon. In 2016, she published Living with Dying together with national Geographic for Science Encyclopedia. The book features an easy-to-use guide on some basic caregiving instructions such as having a conversation, navigate the emotional and spiritual journey, controlling pain, addressing symptoms, working with hospice, caring for oneself, and helping your loved one setting his or her affairs in order. Living with Dying covers many aspects of caregiving but emphasizes dying and terminal cases. Thus, the book talks about plans for final hours and bereavement.