The Mindful Caregiver: Finding Ease in the Caregiving Journey

by Nancy L. Kriseman

Caregiving can be enormously challenging, terrifically rewarding, and potentially draining. Caregivers often wonder how they will navigate the tumultuous waters of caregiving and not lose themselves completely. The Mindful Caregiver highlights two major approaches to help transform the adopting a practice of mindfulness, which helps caregivers become more self-aware and fully present with the person with whom they are caring, and honoring “the spirit-side” of caregiving which offers new ways of connecting to one another. These approaches take into account not just the needs of the care recipient, but also the needs of the caregiver and other people in his/her life.

Remembering to care for oneself when someone else is in great need can be difficult, but with the suggestions and tips in this book, any caregiver can cultivate routines and practices that benefit everyone. Solutions that caregivers can use in their day to day routines are provided, so caregivers who use them can feel more empowered and hopeful. Using real stories throughout, Nancy Kriseman offers self-care exercises and addresses a wide variety of subjects such as setting realistic expectations, making the best possible decisions, advocating effectively, and evaluating available resources and services. The Mindful Caregiver provides inspiration, encouragement, and guidance for finding ease in the caregiving journey. By emphasizing both mindfulness and the spiritual dimension, caregivers can reap the gifts of caregiving, appreciate the special moments, and find strength during the challenging times.

Genres: Self Help

230 pages, Hardcover

First published February 16, 2014

Reviews

[Dara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far one of the best books that I have read about caregiving. I own an in home care agency and the examples Nancy gives are no exaggeration. The book is very thorough in its coverage about the various aspects of caregiving and especially how to take care of the caregiver. I would definitely recommend this book others. It has lots of great information!

[Martha Stettinius · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a former caregiver for my mother, who had Alzheimer’s disease, I recommend Nancy Kriseman’s book, a comprehensive guide to bringing “mindfulness” to caregiving. Her main message is that family caregivers need to pay attention to own needs above all else. Our “first order of business,” she says, is to “check in” with ourselves about how we are doing:
Mindfulness “reminds you that you matter! It nudges you to be kind and gentle, nonjudgmental, and compassionate with yourself. It can help you prioritize, set limits, stay true to yourself, and ultimately feel more at ease during the caregiving journey.”
“The Mindful Caregiver” could be described not just as a meditation on mindfulness, but as a top-notch “how to” book for caregivers. Her tips for finding a geriatric care manager, deciding on an elder care facility, or advocating for your loved one in the E.R., for example, seem comprehensive. As readers we benefit from Kriseman’s long career working with elders and their caregivers, and from her ability to write clearly and compassionately.
We also benefit from the fact that Kriseman was a caregiver herself. Her mother was diagnosed at age 71 with Alzheimer’s disease, and passed away 17 years later. If you are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, you may appreciate that Kriseman includes many tips specifically for dementia caregivers. I found the scenes with her mother to be very moving.
In addition to her personal anecdotes, what makes “The Mindful Caregiver” particularly compelling are the author’s descriptions of the challenges faced by some of her former clients. I found it intriguing to see how a seasoned professional like Kriseman responded to a variety of difficult situations.
I appreciated that Kriseman goes into detail for each scenario, offering us road maps if we find ourselves in similar situations. Many readers will see themselves and their families in these pages, and feel both reassured that they are not alone and empowered to put their own needs firsts.
I have given “The Mindful Caregiver” 4 stars because of some minor design and editing issues that I found distracting as a reader. The vertical spacing between the lines of text is quite tight, which makes your eye work too hard to follow the lines as you read. Editing issues include dangling modifiers and some redundancy that would have benefited from revision or trimming. But otherwise I highly recommend the book to anyone caring for a family member or friend with a long-term illness or condition.
--author, “Inside the Dementia Epidemic: A Daughter’s Memoir”

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I happened upon this book accidentally and am so glad I did. My mother is currently struggling to find answers and creative solutions to help her parents, both with unique needs and ailments. I honestly felt better in just the first few chapters, knowing that we were not alone by a long shot in some of the struggles we have been up against. The topic is heavy, but there are so many wonderful resources and stories in the book that really do help anyone that is a caregiver and are feeling down. I bought my mother a copy immediately and we are both having the hard conversations now to make sure my grandparents get the best and most appropriate care. I feel calmer and my mother is delegating their care more, which is improving her mental and physical health.

[Ginny Nemchick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm in an unusual situation as the spouse of a person who survived childhood cancer, and, as a result, deals with a wide range of health issues. While many chapters in this book offer practical advice for caregiving for older adults, I found the chapters that focused on mindfulness extremely useful, even as someone who is probably not in the target audience for this book.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent foundational material for the Caregivers Reading Group and ongoing support meetings.

[Jess B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book; I liked her perspective on a lot of things, including agreement on some of my pet peeves such as not saying you are becoming your parent's parent. Biggest drawbacks of the book include assumption that you have a lot of resources (I haven't found a book that doesn't make this assumption) and too many typos.

[Evie Brown]

Helpful guidance for looking for a good place for a parent with Dementia.