Caregiving : The Spiritual Journey of Love, Loss, and Renewal

by Beth Witrogen McLeod

• ISBN13: 9780471254089
• ISBN10: 0471254088
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-04-01
• Publisher: Wiley
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

Helping your family and loved ones when they need you most "Caregiving has a big heart-on a much-needed topic. A rare book of spiritual and practical wisdom."-Sue Benderauthor of Plain and Simple and Everyday Sacred "A poignant, wise, and in-the-trenches view of caregiving that is both practical and spiritual, especially of value to midlife adults."-Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., author of Goddesses in Everywoman and Close to the Bone "Lovely. . . . Beth McLeod's experience and wisdom shine through as she shares her heartfelt journey of loss, surrender, hope, and healing."-David Simon, M.D. medical director, the Chopra Center for Well Being, author of Vital Energy and Return to Wholeness Sooner or later it will touch us all: A family member or loved one becomes ill or disabled, and we step in to help. This is caregiving, and in this powerful, unique book, prizewinning writer and advocate Beth Witrogen McLeod leads us through the caregiving journey with unflinching authority and compassion. Framed by the author's personal odyssey as a caregiver and richly informed by the inspiring and poignant tales of others, Caregiving explores medical and financial problems, all aspects of spirituality, and such issues as depression, stress, housing, home care, and end-of-life concerns. A rare blend of powerful storytelling and practical information, Caregiving is a revelation.

Author Biography

BETH WITROGEN MCLEOD lectures nationwide and conducts Internet chat groups on caregiving issues. She has written for Family Circle, SELF, Good Housekeeping, the Noetic Sciences Review, and the San Francisco Examiner, is a consultant and syndicated columnist for Third Age Media, and teaches a course in family caregiving through the University of California. For her writing and advocacy, Beth McLeod has received many honors, including the Society for Professional Journalists Public Service Award, the National Hospice Organization's President's Award, the Primary Care Journalism Award from Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Media Award for Outstanding Public Service from the Family Caregiver Alliance. She lives in the San Francisco area with her husband and two cats.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
Introduction	1	(7)
My Parents Are Dying	8	(5)
Part I Setting Out on the Path of Caregiving
What Family Caregiving Is	13	(15)
I Am a Caregiver	26	(2)
Women and Caregiving	28	(15)
The Spirit of Christmas Present	40	(3)
The Medical/Financial Maze	43	(16)
A Sacred Sorrow	57	(2)
Caring for Aging Parents	59	(17)
Into the Abyss	73	(3)
Spousal Caregiving	76	(17)
Do Not Resuscitate	87	(6)
Part II Emotional Wilderness
The Nature of Loss	93	(10)
The Stresses of Caregiving	103	(16)
Blessings	116	(3)
Caregivers and Depression	119	(16)
Hitting Bottom	135	(8)
To the Stars through Difficulty	138	(5)
Part III Bridges to the Future
Support Strategies and Everyday Miracles	143	(15)
Caregivers, Religion, and Sprituality	158	(12)
End-of-Life Concerns	170	(14)
Caregiving as a Rite of Passage	184	(19)
Fancy Nightmares	199	(4)
Part IV Reclaiming Life
Awakening the Heart	203	(10)
Thank You for Everything	211	(2)
The Urge to Serve	213	(15)
Our Love Will Never End	226	(2)
Caregiving and Community	228	(7)
Appendix Resources, Further Reading, Web Sites	235	(10)
Reference Notes	245	(10)
Index	255