ReadersMagnet Review: One Caregiver’s Journey

by ReadersMagnet | April 22, 2020 | ReadersMagnet Review | 0 Comments

One Caregiver’s Journey is a personal work that allows us a peek into the world of family caregivers in the United States. 

One in
every six Americans is providing full-time or part-time care of an elderly or
disabled family member, relative, or friend. These family caregivers spend more than 15-hours every day caring for
their patients. In a 2015 study by the National Alliance for Caregiving, around
43.5 million adults in the United
States have provided unpaid care to an adult
or a child. The challenges encountered by these caregivers are similar to what
Eleanor Gaccetta has experienced during the nine and a half years she cared for
her mom. Her book, One Caregiver’s Journey tells her story and reflects the
realities that the men and women caregivers face every day. 

In one of her articles, Gaccetta wrote: 

“Caregiving is not an easy and simple job. While the main
responsibility of caregivers is to provide care to people, particularly to
those who are sick and of old ages, caregivers also need to take care of
themselves and to spend some time doing things outside of their duty. More
often than not, caregivers need to juggle lots of different things at once
(e.g. running errands, doing housework, and more) in order to fulfill their
obligation. This often leaves them tired and drained, which if constantly
disregarded, can lead to caregiver burnout.” 

Among the challenges that most caregivers encounter is
their patients’ limited mobility. Getting patients to and from the hospital
requires careful planning and execution to avoid stress and further injuries to
patients. Transporting them to hospitals, laboratories, as well as doctor’s
appointments cannot be done by a single person. These along with other aspects
that require extreme focus and physical energy take a toll on caregivers,
sooner or later.

One Caregiver’s Journey by Eleanor Gaccetta

One Caregiver’s Journey is a personal memoir by Eleanor
Gaccetta. It was published in May 2019. The book details Gaccetta’s experience
throughout the nine a half years that she spent taking care of her elderly
mother. Eleanor Gaccetta’s mother fell and broke her hip at age 93. Ellie then
decided to drop everything and be a full-time caregiver to her mom. Eleanor
stood by her mom until her death at age 102. 

Although the book chronicles Eleanor Gaccetta’s nine and
half years of being a family caregiver to her mom, it was not until after
eighteen months that she began writing journals. Her mother had suffered a
minor stroke a year and a half after the accident. It was then the real
challenges started to emerge and somehow, she felt that she needed to express
her thoughts about the new chapter she was experiencing. She started with
journal entries and before she knew it, she was writing a book about her
journey.

 One Caregiver’s Journey is not a medical
book. However, it features the real issues and challenges that most caregivers
have to deal with such as monitoring patient’s daily routine, finding a
physician providing in-home care services, providing emotional support, and
many other facets, while at the same time ensuring the caregiver’s physical, mental,
and emotional well-being. The book is filled with lessons and insights not
found in most medical books. Last but not the least; Eleanor Gaccett’as One
Caregiver’s Journey is a story of a daughter’s journey with her mom. It is a
story of devotion, faith, love and family. 

Be inspired by Eleanor Gaccetta’s story and grab a copy
of One Caregiver’s Journey today!

Eleanor Gaccetta

Eleanor Gaccetta is from a small farming community just
outside the City of Denver.
After she finished high school, Eleanor, worked for the State of Colorado for more than
31 years, the last seven years she spent serving as a legislative analyst for
the Departments of Human Services and Medicaid. Gaccetta then spent seven years
working as a policy analyst for the City and County of Broomfield before
returning to the State of Colorado, as a private contractor. Gaccetta received
both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration at Regis University.