How to Care for Aging Parents

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 544 pages
• Published by: Workman Publishing Company January 1, 1996
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1563054353
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1563054358
• Book Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Weighs: 1.7 pounds

From Library Journal
This guide, aimed at the "Sandwich Generation," provides a road map to assist adult children in caring for their aging parents. Combining personal experience with expertise in healthcare and social and political issues, Morris has produced a thoroughly researched, well-organized, and comprehensive manual. Chapters follow in logical progression, yet they can stand alone and be read on an "as-needed" basis. The topics covered include the concrete, practical areas such as home care, finances, nursing homes/hospitals, legal issues, and medical/safety concerns as well as the psychosocial areas of handling emotions, dealing with death and dying, sibling conflicts, and spiritual needs. In her discussions, Morris adds useful details such as a suggested list of things to pack for the hospital. Support for the caregiver as well as to the elderly human being is covered. Sprinkled throughout the text are agencies, phone numbers, and other reference information. A good companion to Helen Susik's Hiring Home Caregivers (LJ 5/1/95), this comprehensive resource is a great bargain. Recommended for public libraries.
Linda D. Malone, Walter Reed Hospice, Gloucester, Va.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
How do you find a nursing home? And can you pay for it? Are you eligible for any financial help from the government? How do you find a good doctor? What is the power of attorney and when do you need it? How do you avoid becoming your parent's "parent"?

Virginia Morris, a health-care journalist who cared for her own father through a terminal illness, has taken a tough subject and turned it into a smart, compassionate, timely book for everyone with aging parents. It's all here-the emotional, medical, financial, and legal issues.

She covers what is normal in old age and what is not, and how to avoid "ageism"-the attitude (prevalent even among doctors) that infirmities of the elderly are just part of getting old. She shows how to redefine your relationship with your parent, leaven it with humor, and temper it with reduced expectations. How to make a parent's world easier to see, easier to hear, easier to get around in. How to cope with incontinence and other physical disorders. What to expect of a parent with dementia or Alzheimer's, and what to do about it. How to provide home care-everything from putting together an easy-to-dress wardrobe to installing grab bars and reflective tape. And how to get professional help, from cleaning services to meals-on-wheels to full-time skilled nursing. Winner, Books for a Better Life Award and a selection of the Rodale Book Club Featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, CNN, CBS and other national programs. Over 123,000 copies in print.



Reader Reviews
The most amazing book I have ever borrowed from a friend to read. It is a most important book to have especially if you are "caring" for an elderly parent (in this case, my 93 year old father)and living many miles away (in my case, 3,000 miles). It is so easy to navigate and it is difinitely written for the layman--it gets right to the point and avoids the reader having to read on and on to get an answer. Very important facts in each chapter are highlighted in gray boxes. Thank you, Ms. Morris, for this great compilation on eldercare.