Caregiver's Handb: A Book for Caregivers

The former first lady presents a practical handbook on how to care at home for people with chronic health problems, addressing the social issues that have created a crisis in caregiving and offering practical solutions to the problems. 75,000 first printing. $75,000 ad/promo. Tour.

The former First Lady (First Lady from Plains, 1984, etc.) offers advice, support, and pats on the back for all those who feed, clothe, bathe, and comfort sick friends and relatives, for those who insert the feeding tubes and empty the bedpans. In her introduction, Carter explains: ``I have written Helping Yourself Help Others to hopefully ease the trauma associated with caregiving and to help you feel not quite so alone.'' In a tone that hovers somewhere between the maternal and the institutional, Carter reassures home caregivers that their complaints about having no time of their own are not expressions of selfishness and that fatigue is not failure. She offers strategies to avoid burnout and depression and advice on how to deal with the problems that caregiving can cause in a marriage. It's not just care for the old and infirm that she addresses. Carter's talking to those who care for developmentally disabled children, people with AIDS, the injured, and anyone else who might require long-term care in the home. Much of the data used in the book comes out of the Rosalynn Carter Institute at Georgia Southwestern College. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Former First Lady Carter became interested in the problems of the elderly and the mentally ill during her husband's first gubernatorial campaign. Her work in the area since then, coupled with the work of the Rosalynn Carter Institute at Georgia Southwestern College, whose mission is "to understand the caregiving process and discover new ways to assist formal and informal caregivers," demonstrated the emerging societal need to care for chronically ill individuals. Focusing on the caregiver, Carter and coauthor Golant describe the stages the caregiver progresses through, from first facing the illness or declining health of a loved one to the "long-term, hard-work phase of caregiving." Questions regarding in-home professional care and nursing homes are addressed, and the authors provide information on strategies, support groups, program recommendations, helpful organizations, and books. Denise Perry Donavin

An estimated 25 million Americans are family caregivers, providing for the physical and psychological needs of older parents, chronically ill spouses, or children with disabilities. Caregiving can be a demanding yet fulfilling occupation but may leave caregivers feeling isolated and unprepared for their role. The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Human Development was created by the former First Lady to study the caregiving process and find new ways to assist caregivers. This book offers tips for dealing with health professionals, finding a support group (or starting one of your own), recognizing signs of caregiver burnout, and techniques to make life more satisfying for both caregiver and care recipient. While Carter's book is easy to read and filled with stories from family caregivers, the reassuring tone makes it more emotionally supportive than informational. Nonetheless, it deserves a spot in caregiver and consumer health collections. Appendixes include policy recommendations for improving caregiver services, lists of organizations, and books.
--Karen McNally Bensing, Benjamin Rose Inst. Lib., Cleveland
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.