The Reluctant Caregivers: Learning to Care for a Loved One With Alzheimer's

by Hendershott, Anne B.

• ISBN13: 9780897897112
• ISBN10: 0897897110
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-03-30
• Publisher: Greenwood Pub Group

Summary

Although Hendershott has spent many years teaching and writing about the sociological aspects of aging, she writes that "none of this could have prepared me for the overwhelming challenge of caring for my own mother-in-law in my home." She introduces baby boomers as the unexpected caregivers of the coming decades. The process of family denial about symptoms, work-family conflict, and the unique problems of children of caregivers are explored in an effort to find solutions to the caregiving challenge. Social science research is made accessible and is coupled with anecdotal information gleaned from interactions with other caregivers and personal experience. Throughout the book, Hendershott shows family caregivers that by gaining insight into their motivations for caregiving and by drawing from family support and help from the community, they can move beyond maladaptive caregiving coping styles, to a rewarding reality-based caregiving experience.

Author Biography

Anne Hendershott is Professor of Sociology at the University of San Diego.

Table of Contents

Introduction<BR>

Moving from Denial to Diagnosis<BR>

Family Conflict and Caregiving<BR>

Creating a Safe Environment<BR>

Children who Care<BR>

Solutions for the Reluctant Caregivers<BR>

Caregiving and the Workplace<BR>

Does This Run in the Family?<BR>

Caregiving and Quality of Life<BR>

The Caregiving Journey Ends<BR>

Bibliographic Essay<BR>

Index