Mothering Mother: A Daughter's Experience in Caregiving

It is a transforming time for everyone involved when an aging adult begins to require more assistance and care from loved ones. Little by little, as elderly adults are asked to let go of things they have always done or cherished, caregivers attempt to fill their lives with love, warmth, and security-all while blindly navigating through an uncertain time.Martha Eischen has been there. Over the course of ten years, she was responsible for her mother's total care. InMothering Mother,she shares not only her perspective, but also practical advice and valuable resources as she leads other caregivers-both novice and experienced-down a road of compassion and complete understanding. Martha shares a deeply emotional story as she details her mother's end-of-life journey and how she, in turn, learned how to provide personal care, partner with medical professionals, and deal with altered family dynamics. As she describes her life as a caregiver, she clearly identifies emotions, changes in roles, keys to keeping her mother active, and day-to-day care issues.Mothering Motheris a loving, encouraging guidebook that will help caregivers everywhere fill the last days of a loved one's life with love, security, and fond memories."As a caregiver and a professional in Aging, I found this wonderful book very uplifting. It reinforced all that I knew to be true. I was reminded, when the going gets tough, that the opportunity to do the giving is a treasure."Ruth Mooney, PhD, MN, Nursing Research Facilitator, ChristianaCare Health System