CHAT SCHEDULE:
Sunday, May 2nd 8-10PM EST: Therapeutic Caregiving with Barbara
Bridges
Please excuse us while we switch over to a new and improved
chatroom. Since January, we have been using a free chatroom provided by Xoom.com. It
served our purposes well, but many of you have had trouble getting bumped out. Some WebTV
users weren’t able to get in at all. Until we resolve the problems (hopefully by
June!), we will be having a limited schedule for chats.
Do you have a suggestion for a chat topic? What are the best times
for you to attend chats? We are open to volunteers or professionals who would like to host
regular or special-topic chats. Please e-mail us at roboyoboy@worldnet.att.net! In the works:
Chat for Parkinsons caregivers.
HOME MODIFICATIONS
Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease may be one of the
greatest challenges a family can experience. Until recently, information on how to
"Alzheimer's-proof" your home has been difficult to find. A detailed article is
now on the website that provides information on modifying the home to care for a person
with Alzheimer's. It is intended to make it easier for families and caregivers to create a
safer and more sensitive home environment. Mark Warner, an architect with extensive
experience in home modifications for the elderly and persons with disabilities, describes
the steps to take and products that are available to modify your home and tackle the
difficulties you may encounter along the way.
Sections include: Inside the Home; Doors; Your Back Yard; Wandering;
and Patterning. You can access the "Caregivers Guide to Home Modification" on
the Home Care & Independent Living Channel at http://www.ec-online.net/Knowledge/knowhome.htm
BOOK REVIEW:
"Caregiving: The Spiritual Journey of Love, Loss and
Renewal," by Beth Witrogen McLeod
In the past nine years, the number of family caregivers in North
America has exploded by 300 percent, reaching into a quarter of all households. As baby
boomers age and lifespans increase, the medical and ethical issues involving in caring for
the elderly and dying will affect us at a personal and profound level.
With unflinching authority and compassion, this powerful, unique book bravely speaks to
what is perhaps the greatest of life's challenges: caring for an ill or dying person. As
baby boomers age and lifespans increase, the issues in CAREGIVING are of the utmost
timeliness. Expanding on her prize-winning series in the San Francisco Examiner, Beth
Witrogen McLeod relates her own experiences as a caregiving daughter as well as the
inspiring and poignant stories of others, informing them all with indispensable medical,
financial, psychological, and spiritual advice from world-renowned experts.
Beginning with an account of caring for her own dying parents - a situation for which she
was entirely unprepared and from which she had much to learn - McLeod moves on to discuss
at length how caregivers can open their hearts in the presence of suffering and find
meaning in loss.
Combining real-life stories with interviews of medical professionals and spiritual
leaders, McLeod offers important advice and words of wisdom. She proves that giving is far
more reflective of our common nature than violence or greed, and that by facing together
the fear of dying, we can change our lives and the lives of those around us in a positive
and permanent way.
ENDORSEMENTS
"By my old professor's side, I learned the precious value of
caregiving. I am grateful that Beth McLeod has put together a fine source to help bring
out the helping heart in all of us."
-- Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie
"Caregiving has a big heart - on a much-needed topic. A rare book of spiritual and
practical wisdom."
-- Sue Bender, author of Plain and Simple and Everyday Sacred
"A poignant, wise, and in-the-trenches view of caregiving that is both practical and
spiritual, especially of value to mid-life adults."
-- Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., author of "Goddesses in Everywoman" and "Close
to the Bone"
"Caregiving provides inspiration for anyone whose life is dedicated to service. Beth
McLeod's experience and wisdom shine through as she shares her heartfelt journey of loss,
surrender, hope, and healing."
-- David Simon, M.D., medical director, the Chopra Center for Well Being, author of
"Return to Wholeness" and "The Wisdom of Healing"
"An inspirational book.... The author has ventured where there was no path and lit a
beacon for all to follow."
-- Anne Bashkiroff, Cofounder, Alzheimer's Association and Family Caregiver Alliance
"A wealth of knowledge and resources.... With the voice of experience and
compassion...This book is a true gift for professionals as well as loved ones."
-- David Kessler, author of "The Rights of the Dying"
"When it comes to both the nightmares and the nobility of caregiving, Beth McLeod has
been there. Her moving, personal story pulls no punches . . . Her book bears witness to a
truth we all have to learn: caregivers are the soul of the nation. We need to put this
book on America's required reading list."
-- Theodore Roszak, author of "America the Wise" and "The True Wealth of
Nations"
"McLeod eloquently.... shows us how our grieving builds our humanity. And she
inspires parents, spouses, and adult children to carry on their mission to care with
compassion, pride, and faith."
-- Lucy Jo Palladino, Ph.D., author of "Dreamers, Discoverers, and Dynamos"
"Beth McLeod writes with the knowing heart of a caregiver and with the pen of a poet.
Her personal journey underlies the book's truth, while the pain and spiritual growth ...
she explores and documents so well will touch all readers."
-- Suzanne Mintz, President and cofounder, National Family Caregivers Association
"No book about the silent crisis of caring has been more deeply felt....Beth McLeod's
wisdom comes from an unflinching look at the real-life experience of family care: how it
changed her own life, how it makes us grow up often in spite of our wish to remain our
parents' children . . . and how we may emerge from its spiritual tests strengthened down
to our souls."
-- Paul Kleyman, Editor, Aging Today, American Society on Aging
© 1999 Prism Innovations, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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