Although sometimes being a family caregiver may feel isolating, the truth is that many others have been where you are now. And the more you learn about the caregiving process and what others have experienced, the better equipped you’ll be.
Books can be a great tool to help you on your caregiving journey. In this article, we’ll highlight twelve books in a variety of categories that come highly reviewed by other caregivers like you. Whether you need stress relief, advice for dealing with siblings, or insights on caring for a loved one with a specific condition, we’ve got you covered! Keep reading to discover twelve books to put on your reading list.
General caregiving:
When Caregiving Calls: Guidance as You Care for a Parent, Spouse, or Aging Relative (Aaron Blight)
Description: “Expert Aaron Blight explores the daily realities of caregiving and offers candid, practical advice to help family caregivers cope with their many challenges. . . This outstanding guide will be a lifesaver for anyone saddled with these immense responsibilities and seeking peace of mind.”
Amazon rating: 4.5/5
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Family Caregivers: 101 Stories of Love, Sacrifice, and Bonding (Joan Lunden and Amy Newmark)
Description: “These revealing stories from people of all ages who take care of family members, at home or in outside facilities, are filled with emotional support and practical advice. You’ll be inspired and feel appreciated as you read all 101 of these personal glimpses into the lives of other family caregivers.”
Amazon rating: 4.7/5
Caring for an aging parent:
A Bittersweet Season: Caring for Our Aging Parents – and Ourselves (Jane Gross)
Description: “When Jane Gross found herself suddenly thrust into a caretaker role for her eighty-five year-old mother, she was forced to face challenges that she had never imagined. As she and her younger brother struggled to move her mother into an assisted living facility, deal with seemingly never-ending costs, and adapt to the demands on her time and psyche, she learned valuable and important lessons. Here, the longtime New York Times expert on the subject of elderly care and the founder of the New Old Age blog shares her frustrating, heartbreaking, enlightening, and ultimately redemptive journey, providing us along the way with valuable information that she wishes she had known earlier.”
Amazon rating: 4.7/5
The Caregiver’s Survival Handbook: How to Care for Your Aging Parent Without Losing Yourself (Alexis Abramson)
Description: “A practical handbook for women confronting the problems of caring for an aging parent explains how to deal with the changing parent/child roles, foster aging parents’ independence, get help from other family members, find time for oneself, and balance work, family, and caregiving responsibilities.”
Amazon rating: 4/5
How to Care for Aging Parents: A One-Stop Resource for All Your Medical, Financial, Housing and Emotional Issues” (Virginia Morris)
Description: “Now completely revised and updated, this compassionate, comprehensive caregiver’s bible tackles all the touch subjects, from how to avoid becoming your parent’s “parent,” to understanding what happens to the body in old age, to getting help finding, and paying for, a nursing home.”
Amazon rating: 4.7/5
Caring for an aging parent with your siblings:
They’re Your Parents, Too! How Siblings Can Survive Their Parents’ Aging Without Driving Each Other Crazy (Francine Russo)
Description: “Written by a veteran journalist who chronicles life and how baby boomers live it, They’re Your Parents, Too! offers all the information, insight, and advice you’ll need to make productive choices as you and your siblings begin to assume your parents’ place as the decision-making generation of your family. Filled with expert guidance from gerontologists, family therapists, elder-care attorneys, financial planners, and health workers; resonant real-life stories; and helpful family negotiation techniques, this is an indispensable book for anyone whose parents are aging.”
Amazon rating: 4.3/5
Stress relief:
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, by Martha Davis, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman (Matthew McKay)
Description: “The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook broke new ground when it was first published in 1980, detailing easy, step-by-step techniques for calming the body and mind in an increasingly overstimulated world. Now in its seventh edition, this fully revised and updated workbook—highly regarded by therapists and their clients—offers the latest stress reduction techniques to combat the effects of stress and integrate healthy relaxation habits into every aspect of daily life.”
Amazon rating: 4.5/5
Cruising through Caregiving: Reducing the Stress of Caring for Your Loved One (Jennifer L. FitzPatrick)
Description: “If you’re facing the daunting reality that you’re about to become a caregiver—whether you planned for it or not—Cruising through Caregiving is the down-to-earth and authoritative answer you need. Jennifer FitzPatrick has been through nearly every possible scenario on the caregiving spectrum, both professionally and personally, and she expertly shows you how to be a responsible, loving caregiver without being overcome by guilt, exhaustion, or worry.”
Amazon rating: 4.2/5
AARP Meditations for Caregivers: Practical, Emotional, and Spiritual Support for You and Your Family (Barry J. Jacobs and Julia L. Mayer)
Description: “Family caregiving has its challenges: emotional overload, time constraints, anxiety, burnout, missed work, adult sibling conflicts, and marital issues. AARP Meditations for Caregivers blends emotional and spiritual motivation to minimize the strains while helping caregivers view their work as a mission from the heart. Chapters are organized by theme, including topics such as accepting your feelings, knowing your limits, seeking support, and managing stress. Each reading offers a poignant meditation, an anecdote drawn from the author’s personal or clinical experience, and hands-on or psychological advice to foster coping skills and a sense of fulfillment.”
Amazon rating: 4.4/5
Specific conditions:
The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss ( Nancy L. Mace and Peter V. Rabins)
Description: “Through five editions, The 36-Hour Day has been an essential resource for families who love and care for people with Alzheimer disease. Whether a person has Alzheimer disease or another form of dementia, he or she will face a host of problems. The 36-Hour Day will help family members and caregivers address these challenges and simultaneously cope with their own emotions and needs.”
Amazon rating: 4.7/5
Advice from a Parkinson’s Wife: 20 Lessons Learned the Hard Way (Barbara Sheklin Davis)
Description: “Barbara Davis’s husband had Parkinson’s for over twenty years. She wrote this book after more than two decades of personal experience because she wanted to chronicle the serious matters that most Parkinson’s partners don’t like to talk about publicly, and the feelings and frustrations they are embarrassed to share. By discussing these challenges openly and honestly, this unique book seeks to help others in ways that are not otherwise easily accessible, and to let them know that they are not alone in dealing with the negative life impacts of Parkinson’s Disease.”
Amazon rating: 4.6/5
The Caregiver’s Guide to Cancer: Compassionate Advice for Caring for You and Your Loved One (Victoria Landes)
Description: Looking after someone with cancer can be complex, overwhelming, and emotionally draining all at once. As a caregiver, you may also overlook your own well-being while you focus on your loved one. This book empowers you to be an attentive, thoughtful, and compassionate caregiver for your friend or family member with cancer. You’ll also find practical everyday advice for meeting your own physical and emotional needs while dealing with the unique challenges you face.
Amazon rating: 5/5
Conclusion
Family caregiving can be difficult, but help from a professional is available if you need it. You can learn more about our services here, or reach out to book a complimentary discovery call.