The Family Caregiver's Guide

by Harriet Hodgson

Caring for a loved one at home. What’s really involved? And what does it mean for your family and future? Tens of millions of Americans have had these questions and more as they prepare for this unsettling yet necessary task. The Family Caregiver’s Guide fills in the gaps, connecting the dots between research and real life. Drawing on the author’s extensive caregiving experience, this book provides strategies to care for your loved one, inside and out, as well as for yourself—including how to use your natural skills in your new role, and which skills you may need to add. You’ll discover how to set up your home for caregiving, including a safety checklist, equipment suggestions, and words you should know. And for those days that are more than a handful, you’ll find positive affirmations, a section on facing and accepting illness, and smart steps at the end of each chapter, in case you need guidance in a hurry. Caregiving has both rewards and challenges. But through it all, you’ll discover what’s most important—that caregiving is love in action.

172 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 2015

Reviews

[Anna del C. Dye]

The Family Caregiver's Guide by Harriet Hodgson is an easy read, yet packed with lots of fabulous information of how to Care for a Loved One at Home. In this book you will find mountains of ideas and down to earth answers about how to deal with aging, mentally ill family members.
As a caregiver for my mother-in-law for some years, I found myself in a situation I had no idea how to manage. In this book I found everything I needed to know. Things like what to expect, how to handle it, how and when to get help. It is truly easy to follow and has a great index in the front of the book. I would have loved to have read this book when I started as a caregiver.
The book will give you insights into early and more advanced situations in the everyday life of an aged person who is depressed and/or has dementia based on the author's own experiences. It guides you on how to act and what to say. At the beginning you will find Facing and Accepting Illness, how to assess your loved one's Abilities, Getting Ready for Home Care, Caregiving Nuts and Bolts and so forth.
The Family Caregiver's Guide by Harriet Hodgson is truly a God sent book to help you help your loved one at home. I really love the good feeling and the sense of "I know what I am doing now after reading this book."
This book is not a substitute for medical care, but if you choose to take care of an aged, emotionally ill individual, this book will become your best friend. It is highly recommended to all people whether caregivers or not for ill love ones.

[Laura Libricz]

I really enjoyed this informative guide to caring for a loved one at home. There are some great tips in here. Harriet Hodgson writes from experience and makes this very daunting task look surmountable. Smart Steps at the end of every section help to organize each situation as it arises. I am facing this situation myself in the near future and this guide helps to soothe the fear and uncertainty that I face when assessing my own role in the cargiving situation and assessing what sort of help I will need. Highly recommended reading.

[Karen Ingalls]

A very informative and well-written book about the role of the caregiver. Resources, groups, contacts are listed as well as some step by step ways to deal with the family member and understanding the caregiver's role. Ms. Hodgson has been in the role of caregiver for her mother and grandchildren and now for her husband. Her compassion, love, and gentleness is quite evident.
A must read for everyone.

[Lee L]

Excellent advice and very well-written. The chapters are organized so that information is easy to find. Highly recommend.

[Sherry Ledet]

Returned without reading.

[Jeanette]

I received 'The Family Caregiver's Guide' from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I do enjoy reading cookery books and this is one gem of a cookbook aimed at Caregivers. If only I had a book like this when my late mother was alive, as it would have saved me a lot of work. Nonetheless, many of these recipes will come in useful. There are quite a lot of tips and some of which I really ought to start to consider. I must change some of my ways to make life easier, especially when it comes to making extra for another day.

I cannot tell you what my favourite recipe is, as there were many that were making my mouth water. I will recommend this book to all, especially for those who are caring for family etc.