The Unexpected Journey of Caring

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JUN 17, 2019

Speaker and consultant Thomson (The Four Walls of My Freedom) and White, associate professor at Queens University in Charlotte, N.C., provide gentle guidance to help readers who are becoming caregivers in this instructive guide. The authors write honestly about the feelings of loss during this transition, including grief over a future that will not happen. They explore the feeling of disorientation during the initial months of caregiving while recognizing how the caregiver's relationships with one's own family and friends can be affected, manifesting commonly in intolerance or disappointment. In their "A New Way of Seeing and Being" that concludes each chapter, they ask readers to optimistically reframe the hardships of caregiving by emphasizing that "our responsibilities and connections highlight how we are rooted and grounded with others." The book includes a variety of practical and tangible actions for the caregiver, including resources and advice on how to navigate both real-life and online support systems, strategies for getting help from one's social network, and advice for contacting medical professionals. Specific tools such as the ABCD (Asset Based Community Development) approach and Atlas CareMaps (as well as specific libraries and community centers) are also included. Any caregiver will find an abundance of assistance here.